Curdworth pupils inspire entire village with ambitious Remembrance event

Pupils at a village primary school became museum curators for the day when parents and members of the community visited to see their inspirational project on the First World War.

Staff at Curdworth Primary School, which is part of the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, decided they wanted to do something different for Remembrance this year – and ended up organising a huge event which resonated with the entire village.

At the first, students in the school’s Year 5 and 6 class were learning about World War One in their history lessons, but as the annual festival of Remembrance approached, the school decided to connect the learning across other subjects, including art, music, drama, and English.

First, students were challenged to create art installations based on what they had learned, building 3D versions in shoeboxes which were then combined to create one impressive artwork in the hall. The piece included everything from work on poppies and Flanders Fields to the animals used in war.

But the growing project took on a new dimension when World War One experts David Vaux and Paul Jaques offered to provide a ‘pop-up’ museum for the school, filled with genuine artefacts, medals and memorabilia, which the pupils could help curate.

Year 5 and 6 teacher Kelly Masters explained: “We really wanted to do something special this year for Remembrance.

“Last year my class wrote letters to serving soldiers in the Mercian Regiment, who then wrote back through the Staffordshire Regiment Museum – and that created a connection that put us in touch with David and Paul, who have an amazing collection of artefacts and are incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about World War One.

“They helped us create an amazing living museum, and on Friday, November 10, we opened up the school for family members and the community to come in and see the children’s work, before being shown around the exhibits, with the students sharing what they had learned.”

The visitors entered through the school’s library, where they could see work created by the pupils, before entering the hall to visit the museum and see the art installation.

Children sang and used sign language too, while others used their drama skills to go ‘over the top’ in a trench built from school benches.

Famous sculptor Peter Walker, whose Peace Doves adorn cathedrals across the UK, sent templates to the school, so pupils could create their own versions in art classes.

The Revd. Noel Phillips, the Rector of Curdworth, of The Church of St Nicholas and St Peter ad Vincula, held a special Remembrance Service at the school on the day – but one piece of the art installation then went on to play a central part in the village’s commemorations that weekend.

Jane Maynard, teaching assistant, explained: “We built a wonderful white wooden cross, which was the centre piece of the installation – it stood in the corner of the room, and the children were encouraged to add a poppy to it.

“The cross was then taken, with all of the children’s poppies, to the church to be part of the village’s Remembrance service.” 

Teaching Assistant Susan Brown said: “It was a brilliant day – it was such an immersive experience, and the children were totally involved.

“The installation was made up of little bits of everybody’s ideas, so it was the children’s exhibition, they were in charge. They were so excited about it – it brought it to life.”

The events culminated on Remembrance Sunday, when students Brodie and Jax Thomas, whose father served with the Army in Afghanistan, laid a wreath on behalf of the school at the National Memorial Arboretum, helped by serving RAF man Alan Coakley.

Ten-year-old Brodie said: “My dad used to be a Rifleman in the Irish Guards, so we were there to remember all the people who fought for us. We saw Mr Coakley there and then we laid down the wreath with him for the school.”

Fellow student Lilly Sheldon-Armstrong, 11, said the students had enjoyed all the different parts of the project.

She said: “It was really fun to be able to create what we wanted and not just what the teacher told us to do. We got use our imagination as well as learning about the war.”

Ms Masters said: “We are so proud of how the students embraced the opportunity to learn about World War One and Remembrance, and the enthusiasm they showed for the subject.

“It’s so important that they learn about this topic because it links to our British values, the freedoms we so often take for granted, and it teaches them about respect too.

“By including the community, the project also helped the children understand the significance of the war and how it still connects to the village and their own families, because they were able to share their learning with their parents, grandparents and aunties and uncles.”

Head of School Mrs Jas Kang said: “We are so grateful to all of the people who came together to help us organise such an ambitious and immersive event and help inspire our children to grasp the importance of Remembrance.

“We wanted the children to have control over what we did as a school, which really gave them such a sense of pride.”

Captions:

CDWRTH WW1 1

RAF man Alan Coakley with Brodie and Jax Thomas at the National Memorial Arboretum.

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The art installation in the school hall.

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Lilly Sheldon-Armstrong and Brodie Thomas with some of the artworks.

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The pop-up museum at the school.

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Students acted as curators, showing visitors around the exhibits.