Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Afshan and welcome to today's religious education lesson.

I'm really looking forward to exploring this fascinating topic with you.

The lesson is called Sikhs: the Story of a British community, from the unit Sikhs: what does Khalsa mean to Sikhs today? The outcome of today's lesson is, I can explain how Sikhs have contributed to British history and why some places in the UK have large Sikh communities.

Let's begin by understanding a few keywords which will help us throughout the lesson.

The words are community, service, British Empire, gurdwara.

Let's look at their meaning.

Community is a group of people who share common interests and values.

Service is the act of helping or doing work for others, often to support a community or cause.

British Empire is a group of countries that were controlled or ruled by Britain.

And finally, gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship where people gather to pray, learn and share meals together.

Let's start our lesson.

Our lesson today has two cycles.

In our lesson, we'll start with looking at how have Sikhs contributed to British history.

Let's dive in.

Alex explains how we use social science in religious education.

He says, "Social scientists are interested in how people live and how context like where they live or when they live affects this.

We can better understand people's worldviews by looking at photographs or analysing data.

We can survey or interview people to find out more about their worldview." And in today's lesson we will be learning about how Sikhs have contributed to British communities and how their actions helped us understand their world views.

Let's meet Izzy and Alex.

Izzy and Alex are wanting to find out how Sikhs have contributed to British society.

To learn more, they will be interviewing some Sikhs and looking at some case studies.

Izzy has a question.

She asks, "Have Sikh people always been here in the UK? Alex replies, "I'm not sure, Izzy.

Let's see what we can find out!" Let's find out more about how Sikhs have contributed to British history with Izzy and Alex.

"Have Sikh people always been in the UK Mandeep?" they ask.

Mandeep is a Sikh person living in London.

Mandeep replies, "The Sikh religion started in India.

Guru Nanak lived there and became a teacher that many Hindu and Muslim people followed.

So originally Sikhs lived in India, which was part of the British Empire until 1947." What can you see? Where do you think this is from? Well done.

Good thinking.

I can see some people in uniforms. What clue does it give us? Let's go find out.

Mandeep says, "When Britain needed help, many Sikh soldiers joined the British Indian army to serve and protect others, just like my granddad." He continues and says, "My granddad fought in World War I with the British Indian Army.

He travelled from Punjab to France.

Many Sikh soldiers fought bravely and over 80,000 died in the two World Wars.

The Sikh community believes in serving others, and my granddad always said that by helping in the army, he was doing his duty to protect people and live by our faith." Time for a check.

What role did Mandeep's granddad play in the World War I? Is it he stayed in India or he was a teacher or he fought with the British Indian army? What do you remember? That's correct, Mandeep's granddad fought with the British Indian army.

That's the correct answer.

Well done.

Izzy and Alex continue to talk to one another.

Izzy says, "I didn't realise that Sikhs came and helped us fight in the world wars for the UK." "Me neither! They travelled a really long way to help our country.

I wonder if there are other ways Sikh people have helped us?" Let's find out with them.

Izzy interviews Ria, who's a British Sikh.

"Hi R! How else have Sikhs contributed to Britain?" Let's find out what Ria shares.

"Sikhs have not only served in wars, but have also been important in British community life," Ria says.

Ria explains how many Sikh men and women have made a big impact in healthcare.

They've not just helped in the world wars, but also had a big impact in healthcare.

Let's find out what Ria says.

"While Sikh soldiers were fighting on the front lines, others held in hospitals as nurses.

Their bravery and service contributed hugely to British history.

My grandparents told me stories about how Sikhs service was a big part of the British war effort.

After the wars, many Sikhs continue to serve by working in hospitals, schools, and supporting local communities across Britain." Time for another check.

Sikhs only contributed to British history by fighting in wars.

True or false? False because we know that Sikhs also helped in hospitals, schools, and communities showing the commitment to service beyond the battlefield.

Well done if you chose false as your answer.

Alex now talks to Mandeep and has few questions to ask.

Alex asks, "So after the war had finished, did many Sikh stay on in the UK? If so, what did they do?" Let's find out.

Mandeep shares, "Many Sikh families like mine were invited to stay here by the British government.

My family helped the country recover after the damage caused by the war.

He continues and shares, "My family helped to rebuild Britain by working in factories, transport, and hospitals.

These jobs were very important for keeping the country running while the country was still recovering from the damage caused by the war.

Sikh workers helped repair buildings, run public services, and supported local communities.

Their hard work helped shape modern Britain." Time for another check.

How did Sikh families help Britain after the war? They built castles and monuments or they worked in factories, transport, and hospitals, or they moved away and stopped helping? What do you think? That's correct, they worked in hospitals, factories, and transport and helped Britain recover.

Well done if you chose that as your answer.

Great work.

Time for our task, I hope you're ready.

Here we have Aisha.

Aisha is thinking about Sikhs and British history.

She says, "Sikh's contribution to British history was to fight for the British Empire in the Second World War." Is Aisha correct? Is that the only contribution? What evidence from the case studies can you use to make your argument? You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready to check your answers with me.

Let's check our answers.

Aisha is correct that Sikhs contributed to British history.

However, many Sikh soldiers fought bravely during the First and Second World Wars when India was part of the British Empire.

Others helped in hospitals and supportive roles.

Their hard work and bravery helped Britain during tough times.

Aisha has also not mentioned then after the World War, many Sikh families continue to serve by working in factories, transport and hospitals, and helping local communities to rebuild across Britain.

Well done if you included those in your answers.

Great work.

We now know how Sikhs contributed to British history.

Now let's go and find out why some places in the UK have large Sikh communities.

Izzy and Alex are discussing what to do next.

"How could we find out about how large the Sikh community is in the UK?" Izzy Wonders.

Alex says, "What about looking at the census? It is a survey of everyone in England and Wales.

It asks people, 'What is their religion?' That will give us some data." What do you think? I agree with Alex.

Let's go and find out.

Here is the census data for 2021.

What percentage of people identified as Sikhs have a look closely at the data.

That's correct, 0.

9% of people in England and Wales are Sikhs just like shown in the data there.

This is a relatively small percentage, but it still represents a significant number of people.

525,865 in total is a significant number of people.

Time for another check.

What percentage of people in England and Wales identify as Sikh? Is it 0.

5% or 0.

6%, or is it 0.

9%? What do you think? That's correct, 0.

9% of people in England and Wales identify as Sikh, great work.

Let's use a map to find out more about Sikh communities in the UK.

Here's a map, a part of England and Wales.

It uses 2021 census data to show where Sikhs live.

The darker the colour on the map, the larger the Sikh community that can be found there.

What do you notice from looking at this map? Look closely.

Where do most Sikhs live? Izzy looked very closely and she found out that she can see that most Sikh communities are in cities such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton, London and close to Leeds just like shown in the map.

Alex says, "This is really interesting.

The data tells us where Sikhs live, but not why they live there.

I wonder how we could find that out?" Let's see if you got that.

Sikhs can be found across the UK, particularly in larger cities such as London and Birmingham.

Is this true or false? What do you think? True, that's correct because the largest Sikh communities are in cities such as London, Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Well done if you chose true as your answer.

Izzy says, "Interviewing different Sikhs will help us to better understand why people have chosen to live where they do in the UK." So she decides to speak to some more Sikh people in the UK.

"This is Ranjit." Ranjit lives in Birmingham.

Ranjit says, "My family were originally from Punjab, India.

My grandparents moved to Birmingham in 1945." Ranjit describes why his family chose to move to Birmingham.

Ranjit says, "My grandparents decided to live where they could find work and in a place where they felt connected to other Sikhs.

Birmingham has a large Sikh community.

There are many gurdwaras nearby and plenty of Punjabi shops that stock food that reminded them of home." Time for another check.

Why did Ranjit's family decide to live in Birmingham? Is it because there are lots of gurdwara and Punjabi shops or because it is close to the beach or because there are lots of parks and playgrounds nearby? What do you think? That's correct, Ranjit's family decided to live in Birmingham because there are lots of gurdwaras and Punjabi shops, well done.

What can you see? What type of building might it be? Look closely.

This is the Guru Nanak Gurdwara near Birmingham, which Ranjit and his family regularly visits.

It was built in 1961 and is one of the largest gurdwaras in Europe.

It shows the size and importance of the Birmingham Sikh community.

Alex wants to find out if there are other reasons why Sikhs live in communities close to other Sikhs.

He interviews Mandeep.

Let's find out with Alex.

"Hello, Mandeep.

Where do you live?" Mandeep replies, "I live in a Sikh community in London." This is Mandeep's gurdwara.

It is the oldest gurdwara in the UK and Europe.

Founded in 1911 in London.

Mandeep shares, "When my family moved to London, they decided to live close to a gurdwara as it is an important part of our faith and community." Look at the image of the gurdwara.

Mandeep explains why his family chose to live near the Khalsa Jatha gurdwara in London.

"My family and I chose to live near the Khalsa Jatha gurdwara because it makes it easier for us to practise our faith.

I go there each week to join the community for prayers and help in the langar, which is the community kitchen where we serve food to others.

I also volunteer to help with events and support people in need." Time for our next task.

Here we have Izzy.

Izzy is thinking about why some areas in the UK have large Sikh communities.

She says, "I'm not sure why Sikhs often choose to live in the communities they do." Can you help her with an explanation? You might want to use these sentence starters to help you with your answers, like the data shows that many Sikhs live.

And then you can talk about the places where.

Interviewing Sikhs can help us.

And then use the case study of Ranjit.

Ranjit lives in.

And give the reason why because.

And Mandeep lives in.

Finally, in conclusion.

You can pause the video now and come back to check your answers with me.

Let's check our answers.

Why do Sikhs often choose to live the communities they do? You might have said the data shows that many Sikhs live in cities like Birmingham, London, and other areas in West Midlands where there are large, historic Sikh communities.

Interviewing Sikhs can help us understand why certain areas are important to the Sikh community.

Ranjit lives in Birmingham because there are lots of gurdwaras nearby and shops that reminds them of their culture.

And Mandeep lives in London because it's a place where Sikh traditions are strong with the gurdwara nearby and a close community.

In conclusion, we can see that many Sikh families choose to live in areas where they can practise their faith and be part of a community.

Well done if you completed your sentence.

Great work.

Let's quickly recap about our learning today.

We know the Sikh community has historic links within the UK, connected to the British Empire.

We also now know that Sikh soldiers were heavily involved in fighting for the British Empire.

Their service cost many lives during the World Wars.

Sikhs comprise 0.

9% of the population of England and Wales according to the 2021 census.

And there are historic Sikh communities in London and the West Midlands.

Many Sikh families choose to live in areas where they can practise their faith and be part of a community.

Well done.

You did great today.

Perfect listening.

Thank you for joining me today and I will see you next time, goodbye.