Windy Nook: a school and community at War
1914-1918
WW1 Project and its Legacy
At Windy Nook Primary we have always valued the history of our locality, so we are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund First World War; then and now grant to help us investigate Windy Nook: A School and Community at War 1914-18.
In 1914 the village was a still a distinct Edwardian community, ‘occupying’, according to Whellan’s 1894 Directory, ‘an elevated and exposed position’ within Felling Parish. The largest employers were local mines and quarries. Our school opened in 1883 and played a prominent part in local life. During the summer term 2018 our Year 6 children, led by Mr Hawdon and Mr Brown explored the impact of that terrible conflict on local people.
This project had a profound and lasting effect on everyone at Windy Nook Primary School; therefore, and quite rightly so, we have decided to continue to contribute to this page. It is our tribute to the fallen men and women who sacrificed theirs lives to give us the British values that we cherish: democracy; the rule of law; individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths.
Blog entries
Year 5 poetry!
Last week, Year 5 learnt all about poetry. At the start of the week, we had explored a number of war poems and began to unpick the features that are commonly used e.g. simile, onomatopoeia, alliteration etc. Children then created their own word banks and used...
Lest We Forget!
Last week, Year 6 studied some poems from WW1. We all felt that it was important, particularly in the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday, to think about the men and women who have fought valiantly both at home and abroad for the civil liberties that we now enjoy....
Remembrance and Road Safety in Nursery
To commemorate Remembrance Day we made poppies in a variety of ways. We drew and painted poppies and coloured a template of a poppy which has been used to contribute to our whole school display. We also produced pictures of poppies on the interactive white board. We...
Learning about WWI at St Alban’s Church
This week children in upper KS2 had the chance to visit St Alban's Church as part of their WWI history topic. The children went up the church in search for some war graves. After a brief discussion about the timeline of WWI, the children were on the hunt to find the...
Lest We Forget!
Last week, Year 6 studied some poems from WW1. We all felt that it was important, particularly in the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday, to think about the men and women who have fought valiantly both at home and abroad for the civil liberties that we now enjoy....
Learning about the importance of poppies
The children in the Reception Classes have enjoyed creating poppy art in remembrance of those who have died in wars and other military conflicts since the onset of World War I. They learnt that on Remembrance Day we think about all of the soldiers who have fought in...
Remembering Soldiers in Nursery
This week in nursery, we have focused on poppies, linking to Armistice Day. The children produced some beautiful artwork using a variety of mediums like; paint, pastels, coloured pencils, crayons and play dough. They also made some amazing poppies via Purplemash on...
Remembrance Art in UKS2
This week, UKS2 have been celebrating Remembrance Day by creating some beautiful silhouette paintings. We also talked about the meaning of Remembrance Day in assembly and looked at different ways people remember. Article 38 – War and Armed Conflicts Article 31- Rest,...
Remembrance Day in LKS2
To celebrate Remembrance Day, the children in LKS2 have been learning about the different colours of poppies. The children completed an activity defining vocabulary associated with Remembrance Day. This vocabulary included words such as veteran, conflict and...
Letters home from the Front!
In English, the Beeches and Oaks have been studying life on the front lines during WW1. The horrors! The hardships! The conditions......but not forgetting the friendships and brotherhood that also existed. They have written some fantastic letters home from the front....
The Outbreak of War!
Even though the Beeches are working from home this week it certainly hasn't dampened their enthusiasm for learning and in particular the work on WW1. Here are a collection of reports written by them about the outbreak of the war. Have a look and see what you think!...
Role Play in UKS2 – Causes of the First World War
This, Years 5 and 6 have started our new topic, which is all about World War One. The children have been very enthusiastic in our discussion about the causes of the war, and fascinated to discover how alliances shaped the countries which became involved. The...
World War I Narratives
This week UKS2 have written a continuation of the story they have been studying - Nightfall on the Somme. The story follows a young solider through his experiences on the front lines of World War I. The children have used all of their knowledge of the historical...
Character Concept Maps
In keeping with this week's focus on WW1, UKS2 have been exploring the main character's personality from the book 'Nightfall on the Somme' by creating a concept map. This is a skill we have already looked at this term when displaying our Science research so children...
Project Resources
Trade Directories
Windy Nook Hero
Finding John Brown King
Leading Up To WW1
School Log Books
WW1 Links
Explore
& Research
Learning through…
Local Archives
Field Trips
Expert Visitors
contact us
Can you help our project? We’d love to hear your family stories about World War 1.
Maybe you have some photos you could share with us? Or some artefacts – medals, letters or soldiers’ kit to show us.
Please get in touch using the form below and we’ll get back to you.
Albion Street
Windy Nook NE10 9BD
United Kingdom
@gateshead.gov.uk
Image credits
Response Memorial: Photograph by Jacqueline Banerjee from the Victorian Web
Inside Heugh Battery: Paul Buckingham [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
