Remembrance Day 2022

On Monday our whole school Thought for the Week introduced Remembrance Day exploring: who we remember, why we remember and how we remember. Tracing back its origins to World War I but also understanding it as a time to remember all service people who have and continue to strive for our freedoms.

During Assembly on Friday, we were delighted to welcome Padre Andrew from BATUK to share with us his thoughts surrounding Remembrance. The Padre focussed on the idea of symbolism. He started by laying out his vestments and asking the children to guess what each item of clothing was. There was much excitement to offer suggestions followed by hilarity as the children's guesses ranged from dressing gowns and pyjamas, to ghosts and Little Red Riding Hood's hood. The final piece to go on was of course a poppy, perhaps the most recognisable and poignant symbol of Remembrance.

The Padre then spoke about the specific act of Remembrance in the form of the playing of The Last Post, holding a silence and then listening to The Reveille. He explained how it was a symbol of death and then re-birth. A theory that is mirrored in many religions and one that brings hope that fallen soldiers will rise again.

Thank you to Padre Andrew for leading our assembly, helping to build the children's cultural capital and fostering a better understanding of this historic day in such a jovial but meaningful way.

In EYFS, FS1 had prepared a beautiful Remembrance Day assembly of their own. The children were adorned with poppy headbands they had made earlier in the week and they all held intricate poppies that they had carefully created. The children sang beautiful renditions of The Grand Old Duke of York as well as other classic songs.

Shortly before 11am children and teachers gathered in the quad. We heard from different members of Year 8 who spoke about the sacrifices that our service men and women have made across the world and specifically about the Kenyan Soldiers who fought near Tsavo in a place called Taveta, during the East African Campaign of WW1. The children listened with great respect as Mrs Walby read the poem In Flanders Field by John McCrae. As the Padre has explained earlier, we then stood to listen to Mr Sam play The Last Post, hold our silence and then listen to the Reveille.

Mr Sam and Mrs Walby also visited the EYFS shortly after 11 to lead a moment of reflection. The children sat respectfully and listened to The Last Post, captivated by the loud and poignant sound of the live music.

An important thread of our Remembrance Day was that Remembrance isn't just confined to demonstrating a respect for the past - it is about learning from history so that we can strive towards peace and harmony in the future.