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Local Heritage Competition
Wednesday 29 June 2011
The school’s GCSE History candidates are currently working on their Local Heritage Module and recently entered a national Local Heritage Challenge Competition launched jointly by the Historical Association and English Heritage. In no more than 300 words pupils had to name their favourite local heritage sites or buildings and explain why they had chosen them. The chance to win an all expenses paid day trip for the class encouraged some high spirited competition and on 22 June Deer Park pupil, Matthew Corke, learnt he had won with his entry on Cirencester's Roman Amphitheatre:
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'My favourite heritage site is the Roman Amphitheatre in Cirencester. The site is known by everyone in the town and holds fond memories for us all. In the summer children from the local primary schools meet at the Amphitheatre (or ‘Ampy’) to chat and socialise; they enjoy rolling down the hills and running amongst the trees. In the winter, the site is used by young people sledging on the slopes, it is a place for the entire community to come together and create memories that are passed down through generations. It is not just the young people in Cirencester who enjoy the site; during the mornings and lunchtimes, other residents of the town walk their dogs and catch up with each other whilst gazing at the picturesque views. 'Although the site is not very well preserved and the original foundations are hidden by layers of earth and grass, the entrance and exits of the old amphitheatre can still be seen and the hills where the crowds of Roman onlookers would have sat can still be seen clearly. Archaeological digs nearby have uncovered enclosures where the animals would have been kept before their fights. The amphitheatre at Cirencester was one of the biggest in the country, and was rebuilt in the early second century to include small buildings around the edge of the ring which may have been further enclosures or even cells for convicts. 'I hope the site is preserved in the future as it is a fine example of the grandeur that used to be in Corinium. There are few other significant sites that have survived since the Roman times and many finds are mostly preserved in museums and private collections. This site deserves to be remembered by all and its story should be told to everybody!' |
Matthew Corke in his chosen Local Heritage site 
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On winning Matthew commented “I didn’t expect to win, it’s a great surprise!”
The class are now discussing with English Heritage which site they would like to visit since they are all involved in a student led enrichment project that involves the pupils organising a residential to Viking York as part of another GCSE module on Raiders and Invaders. They hope to combine Matthew’s winning ‘Discovery Visit’ and their trip to York to make it a really engaging and successful expedition!
Teachers’ enthusiasm for their subjects at Deer Park is infectious: ‘Teachers often made what was to be learnt very clear and presented a sequence of increasingly challenging activities punctuated by opportunities for reflection and consolidation’ (Ofsted 2010).
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