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.
Explore & Research
Learning through…
Field Trips
We have field trips planned to Heugh Battery, Hartlepool, Newcastle University and St Alban’s Church.
Local Archives
We’ll be looking at the old school log books and using military service records, CWGC resources, newspapers, maps and census materials.
Expert Visitors
Artist Kate Hancock, ICT expert Martin Bailey and WW1 re-enactor Sgt Chapman will be visiting school to help our Y6 children.
Project Resources
Trade
Directories
Windy Nook
Hero
Finding John
Brown King
Leading Up
To WW1
School Log
Books
WW1 Links
A busy week in the sun in nursery!
This week we have made the most of the Summer weather and spent extra time outdoors. We have had extra drinks and talked about staying hydrated and looking after our skin by applying sun cream. We have thoroughly enjoyed accessing our school fields and participating...
Year 6 First Aid Training
The year 6’s enjoyed their visit from the Red Cross, where they learned important life-saving skills. They also learned what to do in emergency situations by following simple steps. The children asked fantastic questions and gave well thought out answers. Article 6:...
The Summer Music Concert was an absolute highlight of the term!
The Summer Music Concert was an absolute highlight of the term! Our brilliant choir sang with heart, and the talented woodwind and brass players wowed the audience with their confidence and flair. We also enjoyed some rhythmic brilliance from our drummer. It was clear...
Free cricket in the Summer!
This Summer, the Durham Cricket Foundation are running a HUGE All Stars and Dynamos Cricket Festival down at Banks Homes Riverside! This festival is FREE to register for (when using the discount code below), and the children will also receive a free packed lunch as...
Transition and much more!
This week our children who are moving on to Reception in September spent two days in their new classrooms meeting their teachers and familiarising themselves with their surroundings. It was lovely to hear and see how happy the children had been and how impressed their...
Elms do Karate
This half term in PE, Elms have been lucky enough to do karate with Josh from Kensho Karate. They’ve learnt all about different elements of karate, including how to use karate in self-defence. They’ve learned jabs, guarding, kicks and how to move correctly. The...
LKS2 visit the Hancock Museum!
This week, children in Lower Key Stage 2 visited the Hancock Museum to consolidate their learning from their history topic on Ancient Egyptians. The children took part in an interactive workshop about mummification. They explored the different exhibits within the...
Newby Wiske 2025
What a fantastic time our Year 6s had on the residential at Newby Wiske this year! We are grateful to PGL and Mrs Gerry for working so hard to come to our rescue when Kingswood unfortunately closed down and thankfully our new residential location, Newby Wiske, turned...
Art Bytes 2025 Winners!
The Art Bytes winners were finally announced and a massive congratulations to Ava (1st Place), Reuben (2nd) and Georgia (3rd) place. Well done to all the contestants who were entered into the competition. The judges and I were very impressed with the standard of art...
Doubling Wings and Growing Things in the Reception Classes
The children in Reception have been thoroughly engaged in a cross-curricular exploration of symmetry, doubling, and the life cycle of a butterfly. The children used paint to create beautiful symmetrical butterflies. In maths, they used butterfly templates and pom poms...
Baby visitor in Nursery!
We enjoyed having a visitor in nursery on Monday. Miss Clough's great-nephew visited us to help us learn more about babies. He was supposed to visit during our baby animals/mammals topic but was unwell unfortunately. We thoroughly enjoyed having him in nursery and...
Nissan In A Box!
What a great time we had on the 'Nissan-In-A-Box' project! The children of Lower Key Stage 2 learned about Japanese culture, read books, tried origami and even built toy cars to replicate the Nissan production line. It was great to see the children learn so much about...
Image credits
Banner image: Imperial War Museum Photograph Archive Collection
Response Memorial: Photograph by Jacqueline Banerjee from the Victorian Web
Inside Heugh Battery: Paul Buckingham [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
