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1945 Day - Friday 7 May
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On Saturday 8 May Britain, along with other European countries, marked the 65th Anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day. On Friday 7 May, pupils at Cirencester Deer Park School had a unique opportunity to reflect on the legacy of The Second World War as staff at the school recreated the atmosphere of 1945 by suspending the normal timetable, dressing up and planning thought-provoking lessons based on the themes of legacy and reconciliation. Even the reception area was transformed. It was protected from blasts by sandbags and camouflage netting! 
Headteacher, Chiquita Henson praised the commitment and energy of staff at Deer Park. ‘I am impressed by the way in which the team embraced the idea and contributed to the day’s success. Pupils had the opportunity to learn in a range of contexts. It was an occasion for them to be a part of our ‘living history’ and by bringing the experience of different generations together, it was an excellent example of community cohesion.’ Mike Stuart, from Cirencester who was a young boy during the war joined the school for the day and commented. ‘Having met such well mannered children, it confirms my view that the young of today are not what the media show. They are a credit to the school.’ Pupils had the opportunity to talk to local residents who had lived through The Second World War and listened attentively to holocaust survivors who travelled from London to share their experiences. Imogen Piper, Year 10, reflected, ‘It was great to hear everything from a primary source; somebody who was actually there, not just from a text book.’ And the feeling was reciprocated: ‘They learned from us and we learned from them,’ said Bryan Reid, also from Cirencester, who came in to talk to our Year 8 and 9s about his experiences of WW2. Helena Dovey, an Advanced Skills Teacher, was responsible for bringing her initial idea to life. ‘The whole day has been an excellent example of how our subjects intertwine. The Second World War brought great change to Britain and our pupils were able to discover this through their lessons. It was such a privilege to have so many visitors contribute to the day and for them to share their stories and bring the history to life’ reflected Helena. She encouraged other staff to contribute to the programme for the day and, as a consequence, pupils enjoyed a genuinely cross curricular experience.
Rather than dwell on the conflict, each faculty retained the focus on the legacy of The Second World War. Pupils explored the humanitarian issues related to genocide and equal opportunities in English and Drama, as well as the technological advances including the bouncing bomb in Science and code breaking and the Enigma Machine at Bletchley Park in Maths and ICT. In Languages and Humanities they looked at the perceptions of Germany and Germans and why these were often incorrect and the emergence of the Welfare State in Britain. Pupils were also exposed to the music and culture of the era. In Art pupils, covered in blankets, ‘slept’ under the stairs to recreate the images from the London Underground when it provided protection from the air raids to understand the inspiration behind Henry Moore’s sculptures. In PE the girls learnt to dance the Lindy Hop and boys practiced drills with volunteers from the army. Ebony Riddle of Year 7 said ‘it was so much fun to learn to Lindy Hop, we learned how they danced in the olden days!’ and Niamh Wiliams of Year 7 ‘It was really cool to see the Army at lunch time, we got to sit in the van and saw what it was like in their tent.’ Over lunchtime and in Design, where teachers placed an emphasis on ‘make do and mend’, pupils used ration books to savour the taste of war time recipes, including nettle soup, rabbit stew and faggots. Hannah Carter from Year 9 said ‘the faggots were so nice!’ Caroline Skerten, the School’s Head of Key Stage 3, dressed as a GI and contributed to the ambience when she played her trombone with members of Cirencester’s JJ Swing Band and recreated the evocative tunes from the 1940s. Caroline said ‘it was so enjoyable to see pupils dancing to our music from another era’. Liam Clapham in Year 9 said ‘it was different to the music I usually listen to – it’s certainly not on my IPod!’ To give the day a little more authenticity, many members of staff dressed for the occasion and the school’s learning support staff provided wartime refreshments for their colleagues at breaktime. Jane Coull, SENCO, said ‘we researched a range of cake recipes from the 1940’s. Cakes made included those made with rations and more luxurious cakes which those who were fortunate enough to be able to eat out in hotels during war time would have sampled. The cakes were popular as always and visitors to the school commented to me how they had only eaten cakes made with rations.'
Deputy Headteachers, Tim Connole and Chris Francis, dressed as a member of the Home Guard and an Air Raid Warden respectively and others dressed as land girls, munitions workers, civilians or members of the armed forces. Female staff especially, were commended on the accuracy of their dress and hairstyles! Pupil Liam O’Grady commented that ‘the staff looked really good especially Mr Clarke. Annabel Cameron also commented that ‘we would normally have to look in a book to see how people dressed, but we had teachers dressed up in real 1940’s clothes!’ Visitors to the school were overwhelmed. ‘I have never been to the school before, but from the moment I walked in the atmosphere was amazing, I am very impressed with the teachers and the way they have brought it all to life,’ explained Bob Davis, Chairman of the Cirencester branch of the University of the 3rd Age, and Ruth Barnett, a member and speaker of the London Jewish Cultural Centre, confirmed, ‘It was a fantastic privilege to be invited to take part in the powerful experience of Deer Park’s VE celebration day. The sheer enthusiasm and creativity of the staff created a wonderfully authentic atmosphere. Meeting staff in their 1940s’ roles brought back so many memories!’ The event culminated in a VE Day street party for pupils from local primary schools Chesterton and Stratton, organised outside by The Friends of Cirencester Deer Park School. During the afternoon, they entered into the spirit of the day. They were entertained by ‘Blitz and Peaces’ and enjoyed simple celebration sandwiches and cakes. Because of the exhibits around the school they also learnt more about evacuation, rations and transport! A pupil from Stratton said ‘all that I learned last term suddenly became real’. Local bus company, Alexcars, provided a vintage bus to add even more character to the day.
Chiquita Henson |
