Living history lesson inspires Cuddington Croft pupils

Year Six students at Cuddington Croft Primary School in West Cheam became time travellers for the day recently when they experienced a day in the life of wartime courtesy of the History Roadshows.

​As an introduction to studying the topic, pupils spent a day learning about and living in World War Two, with activities such as role-playing being evacuated, learning how to put out fires with a pump, treating casualties and wearing gas masks.

Year Six teacher Diggory Dunn, who organised the event at the school, said it was a fascinating day for the pupils. “I can’t think of a better way to introduce the topic, and the children responded superbly,” he said.

“Ian from History Roadshow presented the topic in such a wonderfully creative way, bringing the topic to life in a way that’s specifically aimed at children makes it so much more interesting for them. The whole experience totally captured their imagination and left them really enthusiastic about the project.”

The visit was one of the highlights of the term at Cuddington Croft, a member of the rapidly-expanding GLF Schools group, which now runs schools in four counties across south east England.

“I would recommend History Roadshows to anyone,” added Mr Dunn. “Every year, the experiences of World War Two slip further back into history, but it’s vital that its stories and lessons are kept alive, so new generations can continue to learn from them. History Roadshows certainly did just that for our pupils, and at the same time, they made it hugely enjoyable.”