Schools plan to commemorate 100 years since World War 1

Schools across the borough will be commemorating the 100 year anniversary of World War 1 with specially designed events including some schools taking part in trips to see various battlefields of the war.

Oulder Hill Community School is taking part in the battlefield trips. 35 pupils from Oulder Hill will be heading to Belgium for their battlefield trip on Thursday 27 March until Saturday 29 March.

Rebecca Tarran, organiser of the trip, said: “We are going to enhance our GCSE history experience. This is an opportunity that we will never have again and it is a big thing for Oulder Hill School.”

Whilst on the trip pupils will visit a number of cemeteries, experience the trenches and be part of the Last Post ceremony.


Holly Peckitt who it taking part in the trip said: “I am studying history at GCSE so thought it would be good to go along. I think I will learn a bit more by going.”

Katlin Nims, also a GCSE history student said: “I wanted to learn a bit more and I think I will do that by going on the trip.”

Rachael Heap added: “History is my favourite subject so I really wanted to go. It was first come first served so I knew I had to go.”

Hollingworth Academy will also be taking part in a battlefield trip. The History department at Hollingworth Academy will be will be running a trip to a battlefield for year 9 pupils with places being decided on a first come first served basis.

Other anniversary commemoration plans include Heap Bridge Primary School converting a World War 2 air raid shelter into a museum. The air raid shelter is situated in the grounds of the school and it is hoped that the shelter can be turned into a museum for the use of schools and the general public

St Anne’s Academy will be holding a trip to the War Museum during half term with some local old age pensioners to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the war.

Falinge Park High School will be taking part in a project based around World War 1. The project, named Project Tommy, is a collaborative project between Falinge Park High School and eight local primary schools and is being run through the schools creative arts faculty with the support of the Design Technology, Modern Foreign languages, PE and Literacy departments.

So far, work for the project has included visits to see War Horse at the Lowry, creative writing, horse building, poppy making, fabric work, willow sculptures, choral speaking, solo musical and choir pieces, reflection, printing and the Last Salute.

The schools project is supported by the Imperial War Museum in Salford.

The school has been loaned two exclusive boxes of war memorabilia as well as replicas for those involved to ‘get their hands on’ and learn more.

The event will come together as one big exhibition and performance at the Imperial War Museum on Sunday 8 June.

World War 1 began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. 2014 will mark 100 years since the start of that war.