Who went?
60 year 2 students from Jubilee Primary School, parents and teachers
Where?
We visited Wellington Arch and Apsley House in London
Jubilee Primary School at Wellington Arch © Fatima Ehssina, Jubilee Primary School
Why did they go?
At Jubilee, the topic-based curriculum is used to reflect student’s backgrounds and interests. ‘London pride’ was the whole-school topic for the 2007-08 school year. The aim was for students to develop a sense of pride for who they are as individuals and for where they live. The sites, Wellington Arch and Apsley House, tied in with the year 2 topic, ‘monuments’.
Who else was involved?
The school worked in partnership with the film maker Savinder Bual (funded through Creative Partnerships), who taught students and teachers to use digital video cameras, and to edit and produce a digital film.
What were the project aims?
To develop students' skills in ICT, speaking and listening, geography and history.
More about Jubilee Primary School
Jubilee, in the London borough of Hackney, is in an established residential area with a wide social and cultural mix. There are 450 students on roll, and 307 of them speak English as an additional language, reflecting the diverse cultural background of the area.
Wellington Arch, east side © English Heritage photo library, photographer Nigel Corrie
Planning the visit
During half-term, we visited the English Heritage sites, Wellington Arch and Apsley House in order to plan a smooth and risk-free visit.
We met an education manager and an education liaison officer, who gave us a tour of the sites, and discussed ways of organising the visit to meet the needs of our students. We left feeling confident that the visit would be a rewarding and enriching experience for them.
Setting the scene in the classroom
Before the visit, we organised various lesson-based activities about monuments. This included:
- what constitutes a monument
- why there are monuments and what they signify
- the wealth of monuments in London
- historical facts about Wellington Arch and Apsley House.
The visit
On the day, students and their families toured the Wellington Arch galleries, and watched a short film about the arch. After lunch and a short walk through the illustrated subway, we arrived at Apsley House. Our guides used fine art and other artefacts to tell the history of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon, and students were amused to think that if Napoleon had won the battle of Waterloo, we would all be speaking French in England.
Jubilee Primary School students in the classroom © Fatima Ehssina, Jubilee Primary School
What the students thought
Our students were amazed at the size and wealth of both sites. For them, the most exciting part was looking at the view from the Wellington Arch balconies and seeing the statue of victory and the passing of the Queen’s Guard on horseback. They were in awe of the grandeur and splendour of Apsley House, particularly the marble statue of Napoleon. Throughout the visit, their feelings and reactions were captured on film by Savinder Bual.
Follow-up work
Back in school, the class was inspired and talked enthusiastically about the visit. Riding on their enthusiasm, we decided to develop their understanding of monuments and heritage by creating a children’s history documentary. This project incorporated the curriculum areas of literacy, drama and ICT, and was linked to our topic work (London pride and monuments). Both year 2 classes produced a 20-minute film together on the battle of Waterloo. We screened the film for the whole school, with an invitation to parents to attend as well.
Learning outcomes
Although neither Napoleon nor Wellington are on the primary national curriculum, we feel it is vital that students are inspired by their learning and can build up their skills of enquiry through fun, accessible topics. Working together to create a film helped them develop a more thorough understanding of the topic and really brought history alive.
