Talbot Heath. Bringing the past to life.
This week Talbot Heath has been bringing history to life for its pupils in a dynamic and innovative way. We are very fortunate to have a unique historical heritage as a school.Our archives contain school magazines from the past 133 years, offering a wonderful insight into historical events. At the school’s 133rd birthday celebrations this year, extracts were read from letters from the front near Ypres, written by a former pupil serving as a nurse, to the then headmistress Miss Broad.
To mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, TH’s History Department arranged two major commemorative events: a Senior School Service of Remembrance on Friday 9th November and a morning of First World War-related activities, which took place on Thursday 8th November. Pupils were able to handle WWI artefacts, explore a trench, learn about scientific and medical advances and watch drama performances showing how the lives of different classes of women were affected by the war. Sixth Form pupils who are intending to pursue a career in Medicine, manned the field hospital, gaining insight into the medical challenges of treatment at the front. Talbot Heath’s pupils and staff also had the opportunity to have their own relatives remembered as part of a ‘First World War Family Stories’ display. It was an incredibly vibrant and engaging event that will have made a lasting impression on the pupils, inspiring them and enhancing their learning in a unique way.
Our World War II air raid shelter which accommodated 125 pupils during bombing raids and was part of a network of four extensive underground shelters, was open to the public as part of the Dorset Heritage Weekend. Pupils are able to experience ‘ living history’ by learning within this authentic structure and studying the artwork and accounts of pupils who studied and slept underground during WW2. Baroness Shirley Williams sheltered here as a pupil while the bombs dropped overhead. Talbot Heath welcomes pupils and visitors from across Dorset who would like to use our amazing shelter as a teaching or learning resource.
Our History teachers understand the power and importance of bringing the past to life in order to inspire and inform. As a school, we share the belief of Theodore Roosevelt that ‘The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.’
