First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours

There is a new opportunity for teachers to engage with the First World War that has been made available. While it may seem obvious that the Historians should take advantage of it, it's also important that the Geographers get a look in too.

The Institute of Education and Equity (formerly known as STS School Travel Service) are delighted to announce that they have been selected to run the First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

The £5.3 million project was announced recently by the Prime Minister, David Cameron and is designed to provide the opportunity for a minimum of two pupils and one teacher from every state funded secondary school in England to visit battlefields on the Western Front between 2014-19. The battlefield tours are a key part of the Government's plans to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

The IOE and Equity offer a unique and powerful partnership of education and travel expertise and through this project will:
  • use leading edge teaching and learning approaches to enable pupils to conduct historical enquiries and develop a deeper understanding of the significance of the First World War
  • enable pupils to develop a personal connection to the First World War through interacting with the battlefield sites, participating in remembrance ceremonies, recording, reflecting and sharing their own experiences
  • create an enduring legacy by developing and disseminating outstanding practice, empowering teachers to deliver more effective lessons and future battlefield tours, supporting schools in establishing commemorative projects
  • bring different organisations together, extend local, regional, national and global networks and reach into communities.
A reminder that I have created a collaborative Google Document on the Geographies of the First World War and you are welcome to read it, or request to be added as an editor if you would like to add an idea to it...

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