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
🎉 Hats Off to a Fantastic Festival! 🎉
The Reception Children started the day by making their own hats and getting creative with decorations. Neddy the horse was a big hit! The children were very excited to meet him and couldn't wait to have their photos taken. At lunchtime, we enjoyed an outdoor picnic...
Young Entrepreneurs Raise £103.35 for Charity!
A huge well done to Isabelle, Elsa, Leia, Rosie, Harper, Ava, Ada, Olivia, Poppy and Sophie, who demonstrated fantastic enterprising skills during our recent school fayre. The girls planned, organised and ran their own bracelet stall from start to finish, showing...
Transition and New Experiences for our Nursery Children
We have had another busy and exciting week in nursery. Our children who will be moving to Reception in September had a lovely time visiting their future classes during transition days on Tuesday and Wednesday, where they enjoyed getting to know Mrs Ramanandi, Mrs...
Active through Families
Active Through Families For families in the local community. Adults and children are welcome to sign up and come along to take part in fun and friendly games that support both physical and mental health. Sessions are run by staff from the Hat-trick project and...
Super Symmetry: Butterfly Magic!
Our Reception children have been full of excitement as they observed their caterpillars form a chrysalis, sparking lots of curiosity and discussion about how living things grow and change. They have been carefully checking on them each day, wondering what might be...
Our Week in Nursery: Exploring and Growing!
This week, the children have been engaged in a range of exciting and purposeful activities across all areas of learning. In the writing area, they created transport-themed collages using a variety of materials, showing great creativity and developing their fine motor...
Careers in Action!
This week, we were visited by student representatives from Intu Universities to talk all about careers. The workshop activities were fantastic for giving hands-on experience of careers in the arts, sciences and humanities. Children got so much from the visit and...
Nightingales Homework 26.6.26
This week’s homework for Nightingales is - CPG Maths pages 18 and 19 Adding and Subtracting Please return to school by Wednesday.
Reception Class Meeting for Parents
Please find attached a PDF containing important information about the transition days taking place in July, along with details and timings for the September induction. Reception Class new starter induction powerpoint for parents 2026 The document also includes useful...
Drowning Prevention Week
Last week, Windy Nook took part in the Drowning Prevention Week campaign organised by the Royal Life Saving Society UK. We began the week with a whole-school assembly exploring the importance of water safety and the potential dangers associated with open water and...
Elms Have a Pizza Party!
Thanks to a very generous donation from the Young family, Elms class today enjoyed a pizza party! The children were delighted when they were surprised with their pizzas this afternoon and enjoyed them very much. A well-deserved treat after lots of hard work so far...
From Seeds to Sports: A Week of Growing and Moving!
This week we continued our transport theme across all of our learning areas, with a wide range of hands-on and creative activities. In the writing area, the children practised their cutting skills by carefully cutting out different forms of transport and then matching...
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














