The Bristol Bus Boycott

Teach the story of the Bristol Bus Boycott with this KS2 history scheme for Year 5/6

This ready-to-teach Bristol Bus Boycott lesson pack begins by introducing children to the Windrush Generation and the reasons behind the mass migration of Caribbean people to Britain after the Second World War. Pupils will explore the challenges they faced, including limited job opportunities, barriers to housing and the reality of racial prejudice. They will also learn about the Notting Hill riots of 1958 and the racial tensions that fuelled them.

The unit then focuses on the Bristol Omnibus Company’s colour bar, which stopped Black people from working as bus drivers or conductors. Children will discover how the Bristol Bus Boycott successfully challenged this policy, paving the way for the company to become one of the first in Britain with an equal opportunities policy.

Throughout the scheme, lessons are designed to deepen understanding through active learning. Each one begins with a short recap task to help pupils recall prior knowledge, while vocabulary-building activities, sentence starters and word banks support high-quality discussion. Drama strategies are used to bring events to life, encouraging children to imagine the experiences of those involved.

This complete Britsol Bus Boycott KS2 History pack includes:

• Detailed teacher-written lesson plans with assessment questions and differentiated tasks

• An engaging slideshow for every lesson

• Printable resources for independent, paired and group work

Everything is ready to use, making it simple to deliver a powerful history scheme that highlights resilience, community action and the fight for equality.

You may also be interested in our Black History Month collection, featuring inspiring lesson packs and free resources to celebrate the achievements, resilience and contributions of Black people throughout history.

The Windrush Generation

In this lesson, children learn about the meaning of the term migrant and why there was a mass migration of people from the Caribbean to Britain after the Second World War ended. They look at how the British Government passed the British Nationality Act which gave people from British colonies around the world the right to live and work in the UK.

Children explore the differences the migrants would have experienced and the difficulties they faced upon arriving in Britain at the time. Your class can then either write in role as a member of the Windrush Generation about their experiences or design a persuasive poster, encouraging people from the Caribbean to come and live and work in the UK.

View Lesson 1

The Notting Hill Race Riots

In this lesson, children learn about the Notting Hill race riots of 1958. They explore why some white youths felt anger toward the black community and how this led to violence during the summer of 1958. Children will use drama to help them imagine how it must have felt to be part of the black community living in Notting Hill in the fifties.

Newspaper reports from the time are used to help explain what happened during the rioting, and the advantages and disadvantages of using newspaper reports as sources of historical evidence are explored. Children then either think about what people from both the white and black communities might have been thinking or they create their own newspaper article on the events of the Notting Hill race riots.

View Lesson 2

The Bristol Omnibus Company's Colour Bar

A mini-quiz is used to begin this lesson and encourage children to recap what they learned in the previous lesson. Then, children learn about the position of the Bristol Omnibus Company not to employ black workers as drivers or conductors. Children are encouraged to empathise with a member of the black community and explore how this ‘colour bar’ would have made them feel.

They will then learn about the action group set up to try to bring about change in the company. They'll consider the relative advantages and disadvantages of different actions the group could take or alternatively hold a debate on what to do in role as students from the University of Bristol.

View Lesson 3

The Boycott of the Bristol Bus Company

In this lesson, children learn about Rosa Parks and how her refusal to give up her seat on a segregated bus led to a boycott of Montgomery bus services. Children learn how this inspired the activists in Bristol to organise a boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company.

During their independent learning activities, children can design a flier to encourage people in the city to support the boycott or alternatively create placards and hold their own peaceful protest in support of the boycott.

View Lesson 4

The legacy of the Boycott

In the final lesson of this series, children will find out how the Bristol Bus Boycott led to the company backing down over their decision not to employ black staff as drivers or conductors. Children will learn how the company became one of the first to adopt an equal opportunities policy and employed the first black bus conductor in Bristol.

They will use drama to explore how he felt and learn how the Race Relations Act of 1965 led to discrimination based on race becoming unlawful in public places. They can then either design a statue or plaque to remember the events of the Bristol Bus Boycott or write in role as a member of the Windrush Generation, reflecting on their experiences.

View Lesson 5