Students are being given the chance to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom in World War One by visiting Belgian battlefields.
The trip to Ypres will take place from May 7th-9th 2020 and is open to students in Year 9, who studied World War One earlier this year.
Miss J Tappenden, Highfields’ Head of History who is organising the trip, said: “We anticipate that this will be an extremely popular trip having recently commemorated the 100-year anniversary of the end of WWI in school. Therefore we offer this trip to students who have shown a strong commitment to their History studies and will make the most of this opportunity.”
The trip is the latest of many visits the school has organised to Ypres over the past 15 years. Students will visit a number of important landmarks including Commonwealth war grave sites, the In Flanders Fields Museum, as well as preserved trenches and battlefield sites.
Miss Tappenden added: “This war is central to our History studies, having enormous impact on life and society in Britain and Germany in the Twentieth Century. The area is also the location familiar to many of the poets, writers and artists who recorded the horrors and anguish of the war and whose work is world famous. The visits are highly relevant to all students of History. This is also an unforgettable experience at a human level and relevant to many aspects of education, especially, but not exclusively, History and English.”
This year marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One, and students and staff hosted a packed programme of Remembrance activities to mark the occasion.
As part of the week-long programme of Remembrance, special assemblies were held to teach students more about the Great War, whilst there was also a poetry competition and poppy sales, which raised around £160 for the Royal British Legion. A further £42 was raised for the Poppy Appeal in a raffle for a commemorative ‘Tommy’ figurine.
Lectures were held during lunchtimes highlighting lesser-known facts about the war, including how Britain treated the men who refused to fight, how women kept the war effort going, how the country was aided by Canada, India and Australia, as well as the conflict from a German perspective.
More than 120 people attended two screenings of Peter Jackson’s extraordinary film, They Shall Not Grow Old, which brings the frontline to life using remastered footage and the voices of the soldiers who were there.
Students, staff and Parents/Carers also got creative to make their own plastic poppies using old drinks bottles, which have been used to form a stunning display outside the school’s front entrance.
