Pupils at Herne Bay High School will be soon be visiting their local war memorial. They will be undertaking research using www.learnaboutwarmemorials.org which has some fantastic materials to help both students and teachers to understand their local memorial. Watch this space for photos and the results of their research after Christmas!

This is a copy of an article published in the school news letter for Herons, Christmas Edition.

Calling pupils from 9S1: Miss Fairbard, Head of History needs 15 volunteers to get involved in a History project to commemorate the centenary of World War One 1914-1918.

This project is led by the National Children’s Football Alliance.  The project is entitled ‘Football and Peace’  and  is focussing on the role of football in the family and community where children today escape from warring families to play football and how that compares to the soldiers on the front line in 1914 stopping the fighting to play the game across no man’s land.

Many schools across the county are also participating in the project. (Swadelands, Isle of Sheppey Academy, Borden Grammar and High Weald Academy)  Pupils who are interested will be need to speak to Miss Fairbard before the end of term to register their interest. It will involve a few after school sessions between January and April which will take place on a Thursday after school after the pupils have finished their ASDAN Cope qualification. It will also involve a visit to Maidstone library and archives to carry out some original research on a local Kent man; Walter Tull who was the first Black officer in World War One and a professional footballer. Pupils will be handling primary evidence to find out more about this man and will also get the opportunity to visit Maidstone museum. This visit has been booked for Thursday 23^rd January. A speaker from Southampton University, Adrian Smith, an expert in sport in History will also be visiting the school to speak to the pupils. (Date to be confirmed)

The work that we carry out will contribute to a blog and website available to all schools across the country as a legacy of the project. It will also feature in an exhibition and film documentary about the centenary. The research will culminate in a day on 25^th April 2015 to celebrate peace. This will include an exhibition of our work, debates, games and activities all filmed by the the Football & Peace Project. Participants will also receive a peace medal for their contribution to the project. Some students might also have an opportunity to visit Flanders Peace Fields Project (Patrons are Pele and Archbishop Tutu) and play football games with other students from around the world.

The organisation would also like to run an Art competition to design a logo for Kent’s Football and Peace Project.