How local expertise and continued refinement breathed life into an enquiry in a Somerset school

Debbie Doolan explores how the locality of her school, Worle School in North Somerset, was impacted by a significant event, World War II. What is particularly pertinent is not just the range of activities in this topic but the way the theme was refined over a number of years. It also shows the real value of looking at using local and other expertise to enhance a topic such as local history societies and Historic England.

World War II is a significant event in British history that will soon no longer be in living memory. When devising our school’s history curriculum, the world wars were important events we thought children should explore. But how do we ensure children discover the impact on the country, develop their knowledge and understand how it impacted their local area, their neighbourhoods, their schools, streets and the people within them?...