Explore the latest Picture News resource hereThis week’s Picture News poster and big question exploring what makes a great place to liveChildren often have a strong sense of what “home” means to them. It might be their house, their street, a favourite park, or the people around them. These places and routines can help them feel safe, comfortable and part of something familiar.But what is it that really makes a place a great place to live? Is it the buildings and spaces around us, such as parks, shops and schools, or is it the people, friendships and sense of community?For many children, school is one of the first places where they experience being part of a wider community - sharing spaces, building relationships and beginning to understand what it means to live alongside others.This week’s Picture News story explores these ideas through a UK-based example. A new town, called Barking Riverside, is being built in East London to provide more homes, along with schools, parks and shops for people to use.This raises questions about what makes somewhere a good place to live, and how places are designed to meet people’s needs.A new town in the news: a primary school assembly discussionIn assembly, children learn about Barking Riverside, a new neighbourhood being built in East London to provide homes for a growing population. Plans include up to 20,000 homes, with around 50,000 people expected to live there.They explore what the area was like before, as an industrial site, and consider why new homes are needed as cities grow. The development will include schools, parks, shops and transport links, helping to create a place where people can live, work and spend time together.This provides a starting point for thinking about how places change over time, and what people need to feel settled in a new community.Assembly resource used to support discussion about the new town being developed in LondonPSHE and classroom discussion in primary schoolsThis story offers a natural opportunity to explore what makes a place feel right for different people.Using Resource 1, children consider a range of places a town might include, such as hospitals, schools, parks, shops and transport links, and decide which are the most and least important. Ranking these helps children think more carefully about what people need in order to live well, and how different choices can be made.As children share their ideas, they may notice that others have made different choices or ranked things in a different order. Exploring these differences helps children understand that people can have different opinions and reasons, and encourages them to listen to and respect the views of others.Resource 2 then broadens this thinking by looking at different places people live, including towns, villages, cities, suburbs and the countryside. This supports children in recognising that people’s preferences and needs can vary, and helps develop empathy by considering what might matter to someone else when choosing where to live.Classroom resources exploring what makes a place a good place to liveQuestions to support classroom discussionTeachers might explore questions such as:What makes a great place to live?What do people need in a town or area?How might a place change when new homes are built?Why might people choose to live in different places?What helps somewhere feel like home?Using current events in primary school assemblies and lessonsWhat makes a great place to live? Exploring this question encourages children to think about their own experiences of home and how places can change over time.Stories like this help children connect current events with their own lives, supporting them to reflect on new beginnings, change and what helps people feel settled and part of a community.The reflection page supports the final part of the assembly, helping to draw together learningExplore the latest Picture News resource here
