Throughout the project, we have discussed not only examples of thoughtful and effective teaching about Grenfell, but also approaches that may be well intentioned yet are problematic from the perspective of EDJ.
Reflecting on what should be avoided is therefore as important as identifying good practice, as it helps teachers make informed, ethically grounded pedagogical choices. Below, we present a few illustrative examples of practices that warrant particular caution when teaching about Grenfell.
An English teacher opens a lesson by showing graphic images from news coverage of the fire to “capture attention” and generate emotional reactions. Students look visibly distressed, and one asks to leave. The teacher insists they stay, saying, “This is real life, you need to see what actually happened.” The lesson proceeds without emotional preparation or structured reflection.
What’s Wrong?
This scenario sensationalises trauma, shows distressing imagery with no consent or framing, and disregards student wellbeing. EDJ emphasises trauma-informed pedagogy, safe learning environments, and avoiding harm.
Justice-Oriented Alternative
The teacher prepares students in advance, explaining that the lesson involves sensitive material. No graphic images are used. Instead, students read a reflective piece written by a young survivor about resilience and community solidarity. The teacher emphasises voluntary participation, provides movement breaks, and encourages grounded discussion about empathy, language, and dignity.
A drama teacher devises a role-play exercise in which students “act out” the experiences of Grenfell residents on the night of the fire. Students are assigned roles such as “panicking mother” or “trapped family” and asked to improvise emotional scenes. The teacher encourages dramatic intensity, praising students who cry or shout for being “really convincing.” No community voices, testimony, or contextual framing are provided.
What’s Wrong?
This approach treats real people’s suffering as performance material, risks re-traumatising students with personal connections to the disaster, and reduces lived experiences to spectacle. It appropriates community pain without consent, centres emotional intensity over understanding, and violates EDJ principles of dignity, recognition, and ethical engagement with testimony.
Justice-Oriented Alternative
The teacher uses process drama techniques to explore themes of community, responsibility, and power, without directly simulating the fire itself. Students work with published testimony and poetry from survivors (used with permission) to create a devised piece exploring questions like: Who is listened to? What does it mean to be ignored by those in power? The teacher positions students as witnesses and advocates rather than victims, and builds in reflective discussion after each session.
During a citizenship lesson, the teacher explains the disaster by saying, “The residents should have complained louder, and some communities don’t really engage with authorities properly.” They present no evidence, ignore the years of documented warnings, and suggest the tragedy reflects community passivity rather than systemic neglect.
What’s Wrong?
This frames disaster victims as responsible for their own harm, reproduces harmful stereotypes, and erases systemic injustice. It violates EDJ’s principles of recognition, structural analysis, and respect for community voice.
Justice-Oriented Alternative
In a citizenship lesson, the teacher begins with documented evidence that residents raised repeated safety concerns that went unheeded. Students analyse excerpts from inquiry findings, council correspondence, and community testimony. Working in groups, they map out where decisions were made, whose voices were recognised or ignored, and how power shaped outcomes.
A school marks the anniversary by holding a short assembly with a slideshow of green hearts and a message about “coming together.” No mention is made of why the fire happened, ongoing struggles for justice, or the community’s perspectives. Teachers are told this single event fulfils “coverage of Grenfell” for the year.
What’s Wrong?
This reduces Grenfell to symbolic remembrance without addressing cause, responsibility, or justice. It erases ongoing injustice and fails to engage with EDJ’s focus on structural learning, accountability, and critical citizenship.
Justice-Oriented Alternative
For the anniversary, a class holds a reflective session shaped around three themes: humanity, justice, and future change. Students learn about the community’s ongoing campaign for accountability, discuss what justice means in different forms (legal, moral, civic), and explore youth roles in promoting safety and ethical responsibility.