Castle Camps Remembers
The following article has been sent in to the press today. Hopefully it will be published soon.
'Pupils at Castle Camps C of E (V.C.) Primary School have been remembering the lives of people affected by war this term as part of a whole school focus on ‘Remembrance’.
To support the topic, staff planned a number of hands on, engaging activities for the children, including a fantastic visit to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford. During the trip, children in Key Stage 2 participated in a wartime classroom workshop where they learnt about the experiences of children, particularly evacuees, during World War 2. The younger pupils in Key Stage 1 enjoyed studying the aircraft within the Airspace, visiting the Battle of Britain exhibition and taking part in a workshop to build a wooden aeroplane.
William, a pupil in Badger Class, said: ‘I really enjoyed the wartime classroom experience and trying on a real life gas mask. The trip made me realise how lucky we are today to be safe, secure and living with our families in good conditions.’
In order to make the day as realistic as possible, all the staff and children dressed in 1940’s clothing and were asked to bring a packed lunch typical of the period. Despite a few initial concerns about the “rationing” requirements, the children all adopted the blitz spirit, swapping their usual lunch for spam sandwiches, rock cakes and apples. Following on from the visit, the teachers planned two school-based topic days, where the children tried out WW2 recipes, built an Anderson Shelter and made ceramic poppies.
Class Teacher and History Subject Leader, Mrs Jayne Wright said: ‘It has been a wonderful experience for all the children and given everyone a clear insight into what life was like for a wartime child.’
Last month, families and staff at Castle Camps C of E (V.C.) Primary School joined thousands of pupils across the country by celebrating Red, White and Blue Day. The event, held on Friday, 10th October, aimed to increase public awareness of the difficulties faced by our service families, while also raising money for forces charities.
Pupils were asked to support the day by wearing red, white and blue clothes to school and to donate £1. A special family breakfast was also arranged and raised an amazing £160.
The day was enriched by the arrival of Staff Sgt. Charlie Wright and WO2 Barry Smith from 33EOD Regiment (Royal Engineers) at Carver Barracks, who spent the morning working with the children in classes and demonstrating drill.
A special Remembrance Day Service, led by Reverend Graham Ridgwell, was held at the War Memorial in Castle Camps on Tuesday at 11am to remember the fallen of the parish. Joshua and Lucy, pupils from Deer Class, read out the names of the servicemen as wooden crosses, one to commemorate each soldier, were placed at the foot of the memorial. The service was a poignant reminder of the tremendous sacrifice made by all our local families during wartime.'
