This week year 6 visited Beaumanor Hall for a WW2 experience. The children were able to sit in the actual room where the message of surrender from Germany arrived in 1945. They were tasked with the challenge of decoding messages sent by German enemies. Other tasks included being in a classroom in 1939, shop for rationed food, create their own identity card and send a messages home. Children were required to follow a recipe and visit the shop for their rationed food. In the afternoon, we were disturbed by the ringing of an air raid siren. After a quick walk we were placed in a private bunker where we were given the experience of being in a bunker during an air raid. The children were immersed in the experience of being a child during the Second World War and they gained a lot of knowledge from the wonderful people at the centre. As always, the children were well behaved and repressed the school well.
This week we had the wonderful Peter Barratt into school to talk to the Year 6 children about his amazing great-grandma Alice Hawkins. Alice is a famous suffragette, who fought for the rights of women, during the 19th century, Children learnt details about her life and saw some of the artefacts that Peter had. We want to thank Peter for coming in as the children were able to gain some valuable knowledge about the life of a suffragette.
In Year 4, we embarked on an exciting educational journey to Bosworth Battlefield, a pivotal event in History. This immersive trip allowed us to step back in time to the year. We explored what life was like as Romans and Celts and learnt what food they ate and how to prepare for battle. They even had the chance to dress up in period costumes. Our trip was a fantastic opportunity to deepen our understanding and brought the past to life in an engaging and memorable way.
Year 5 visited Leicester Museum to explore the Ancient Egypt gallery. This comes at the start of an exciting unit of history work where the children will attempt to answer the big question: what were the achievements of the Ancient Egyptians? For many children this was their first visit to the museum and their interest and enthusiasm was definitely piqued.
The year 6 children had the opportunity to learn about the life of various women in Britain between 1939-1945. They learnt about the momentous changes the war brought for women, such as the first time in British history women were finally allowed to serve in the armed forces as engineers, mechanics, ambulance drivers, nurses and spies.
This week, year 6 had the opportunity to visit Coventry Transport Museum and the Herbert Art Gallery Museum. They had experienced stepping into the past and immersing themselves in a Blitz experience exhibition, which provided insight into the hardships and challenges faced during World War II. Later, their exploration continued at the Herbert Art Gallery Museum, where an engaging workshop shed light on the crucial roles played by women during the war. They learned about remarkable women, one of which was Mary Beardshall, a dedicated porter whose contributions were vital to the war effort, and Betty Popkiss, a brave soul who earned the George Medal for her fearless actions during a devastating Coventry bombing raid on October 19, 1940. The children also had the chance to visit an authentic underground shelter from the war era and the Coventry Cathedral, which stands as a memorial, preserving the ruins from the war.
