Using anniversaries such as the Representation of the People Act 1918

Anniversaries enable us to draw out the significance of events and circumstances in the past in a number of ways. They can serve as a focus for assemblies, providing an opportunity to draw out work covered in history lessons or deal with topics which are outside what is covered in the curriculum.

They can also be used to invigorate a lesson by providing a new focus or at a deeper level encourage us to look at what we are teaching within topics and across the curriculum as a whole. This is particularly the case where anniversaries relate to especially significant turning points such as the Representation of the People Act 1918 which saw the vote given to women for the first time and extended to all men.