It's Hands On History For Year 7 This Week!

7P1 continued their thematic study of History this week with some hands-on artefact exploration.

This term’s study so far has been on the Battle of Hastings and invasion of Britain, focusing on the theme of conflict. Today they began their contrast study, comparing the successful Norman invasion with the unsuccessful Nazi invasion of 'Operation Sealion', fought off in the Battle of Britain.

The children handled a range of original artefacts, looking at RAF wreckage from a Hurricane which crash landed in East Knoll on 30th September 1940, including spitfire cockpit clocks, German cockpit control clocks, British ground crew Air Ministry pocket watch and binoculars used for spotting enemy aircraft during the period. They even tried on a genuine Battle of Britain RAF sheepskin flying jacket, worn to protect the pilot from the freezing temperatures at altitude.

The opportunity to handle contemporary artefacts helped to bring the topic to life and give a direct connection to our studies. This is a goal for the History department going forward, so expect more hands-on experiences going forward for pupils across the span of the school!

Mrs Gillow

Head of History

Click here to see all the photographs on Flickr