The class decided to investigate their school building, as it seemed really old. They discussed ways to find out about it: using the internet and books; writing letters to older local neighbours to ask them if they can share their memories; using the local library’s heritage dept; taking photos and looking for old photos online; finding out about any interesting features of the building.
They chose to share their discoveries by making a museum-style display.
Detective
5 students (and 4 staff)
15 – 17 years (SEN)
October - December 2020
How the project achieved the sections of the award
Plan
The class chose to investigate their school in the past. They asked key questions about its history to explore for the project:
● When and why was it built?
● How has it changed?
● What was school generally like for children at the time it opened?
● Who was the school for over the years, what and how might they have learned?
Investigate
As a class, and individually, we:
● Read a few books about Haddington from the library topic box
● Used the internet for researching the school, and what school was like in Victorian times
● Learned about the education Act of 1872, and why that led to the school being built
● Investigated school uniforms (staff & pupils) in Victorian times, the 1940’s/50’s, the 1980’s/90’s, and now – it was funny for the boys to wear lace collars as a ‘uniform’. They liked that the teachers had an official dress code, unlike now, but we couldn’t identify when that changed
● Wrote letters to our neighbours and hand delivered around the adjoining streets, to collect memories of the school from older members of the community
● Discovered how lessons and discipline have changed
● Studied maps, aerial and regular photographs of the area
● Made a floor plan of the building, and learned a little about scale drawing
● Used text sources to work out what all the rooms had been, and how many children were expected to work in each space
● Explored the jobs involved in creating the building – stonemason, slater (roofer) plumber etc
Engage
To engage with the history of the school we:
● Checked the buildings features to help date it – (tall windows, wood panelled walls, stone built) and by comparing it to other buildings and schools in the local area
● Took photos of the school building
● Utilised the community library
● Wrote letters asking local residents if they had any memories/ photos/ newspaper articles about the school. This linked with the English department, the students learned about the features of letters, and how to structure one
● Had fun making Dunces hats out of card
● Had a mini-lesson writing on chalk (slate) boards that would have been used in the past
● Took some of the heritage photos out on a walk to identify the points where the photos were taken from, and then took ones from same point (where possible), and looked for what had changed/stayed the same
● For Design Technology – Had a go at doing scale drawings of the classroom and its contents – very difficult!
Inspire
To share what we learned with others we:
• Created a museum display and made a timeline of the building as a wall display
• Shared our photos in the school newsletter, as well as sharing our learning about Victorian schools
• Wrote letters to our neighbours, and received some lovely replies, increasing the bonds between the school and the immediate community.
● Created a display of photographs of the building and its students in different centuries and decades, and wrote information cards to accompany the display
● In Art we made aerial view drawings of the building and stained-glass effect window pieces – displaying these for others to see
● For I.C.T. we took lots of photos, and adopted the digital skills required to upload and make them into a slideshow to show others
Reflect
In a group discussion the students reflected that they:
● Developed good teamwork over the course of the project
● Learned how to find out things from clues, doing research, and asking other people
● That they would have liked to research more with books, but the library was closed due to lockdown
● Everyone’s photography skills improved, and some became quite arty
● Learned how to sequence events, especially when working together
● Understand that a long time ago, children had to go to work, and might not learn to read and write
● Decided that laws can be good things
Lessons Learned
● When discovering how lessons and discipline have changed, the students were horrified about the ‘belt’, and for a few days at least, had a new-found appreciation for current education
● After a lesson using chalk and slate, all agreed they much prefer using chromebooks as they are easier to use, and they can save their work
● All decided that it was funny for the boys to wear lace collars as a ‘uniform’. They liked that the teachers had an official dress code, and a few advocated that we should go back to teachers in uniforms, and students wearing whatever they like
● They began to understand that the past is everywhere around us, and that places and buildings have a ‘story’
Highlight(s)
● The class all loved going round with cameras to find interesting features, and choose their favourite one – such as the stained-glass skylights, and the small tower on the roof
● Receiving a letter through the post addressed to the class. Much excitement as we opened and read the letter; it was a lovely reply from a neighbour. They had enclosed a printout of an old photo, and told us about a local social media group that had lots of vintage and historic photos on it
● For the staff team, a highlight was seeing the students show that they were starting to look on the school as really theirs.
The benefit of using the Heritage Hero Awards
● The award format allows for complete personalisation and choice as it is truly student led
● SEN students can often struggle to access mainstream secondary qualifications, Heritage Hero allows for their learning and achievements in social subject areas to be recognised
Case study compiled by
J Davis