Year Five pupils from Essex Primary School performed a concert in honour of Refugee Week, telling stories of oppression from the past 120 years.

Newham Recorder: Pupils from Year Five sang songs in Yiddish, Polish, Bengali, Arabic and Hebrew to remember acts of persecution which have happened across the world. Picture: Essex PrimaryPupils from Year Five sang songs in Yiddish, Polish, Bengali, Arabic and Hebrew to remember acts of persecution which have happened across the world. Picture: Essex Primary (Image: Archant)

In Chaos to Community, pupils from the Manor Park school told stories of people fleeing war and oppression through songs and drama.

Pupils had only a week to plan and rehearse the concert, which was performed to parents, staff, and East Ham MP Stephen Timms.

Children sang a Polish song to remember the persecution of Jews in Poland after its annexation from Russia in the 19th century, before performing a scene about Jews trying to leave the Warsaw Ghetto to escape the Nazis.

Manush Manusher Jannya was sung in Bengali to remember Bangladeshi families who settled in east London, and a song was sung in Arabic to recognise the plight of Syrian refugees.

The children were accompanied by professional musicians on the keys, drums and tabla, and one class wrote and performed their own song, Peace, Love and Unity.

Year Five pupil Aamir Motala said: “We created this project because we are all from different countries, cultures and religions.

“It shows how everyone together creates something incredible.”