Big History: 80 Years Since VE Day

Able to accommodate the whole of up to a two-form entry school in a single day, 80 Years Since VE Day opens with a whole-school, interactive assembly exploring what VE Day was and why it was important. Events continue with a series of drama-based workshops in which each year group explores a different facet of this landmark moment.

EYFS: Dressing for VE Day … what did people wear for VE Day? Did different kinds of people wear different kinds of clothes?

Year 1: Travelling for VE Day … how did people get to the VE Day celebrations? Did different kinds of people use different kinds of transport?

Year 2: Eating on VE Day … what did people eat on VE Day? Did they eat any special foods?

Year 3: Buckingham Palace on VE Day … how did the Palace join in with the celebrations? What did the King and Queen do?

Year 4: VE Day Locations … where did people go to celebrate VE Day? How have those places changed since?

Year 5: VE Day Babies … did anyone who was born around VE Day go on to make an impact on the world? Who were they – and what did they do?

Year 6: Hopes for VE Day … what did people hope the world would be like after VE Day? Did those dreams come true?

There are no costumes, props or artefacts in a Big History Day. Instead, everything is achieved through age-appropriate drama-based activities, imagination - and, of course, lots of historical content!

“We enjoyed the workshops tremendously. The children learnt a great deal, in an interactive and engaging manner. They gained the intended knowledge from the year specific workshops. They gained a sense of enjoyment through the drama activities and were able to talk, at length, about their activities afterwards. Jo was fabulous and made the day very special for all the children.” Long to Reign Over Us, Jubilee Workshops, Cloverlea Primary School

Today, our Jubilee celebrations have included History workshops called 'Long to Reign Over Us'. We have been learning all about life in Britain over the past seventy years. @BirminghamEdu @BCPP__ @PrimaryTolkien pic.twitter.com/673fz3QTPZ
— St Jude's Catholic Primary School 🧡 (@jude_primary) May 26, 2022

What is the format of the day?

The day involves a whole-school assembly, followed by workshops, each one accommodating up to 60 pupils at a time. We will plan a timetable based on the number of classes you would like to include, but a whole-school day might look something like this:

09.00 – 09.20: Whole-school introductory assembly…

09.20 – 10.00: Year 1 stay in the hall for their workshop …

10.00 – 10.40: Year 2 come to the hall for their workshop …

10.40 – 11.20: Year 3 come to the hall for their workshop …

11.20 – 11.50: One Reception class have a visit, in their own setting …

LUNCH

1.00 – 1.30: The other Reception class have a visit, in their own setting …

1.30 – 2.05: Year 4 come to the hall for their workshop …

2.05 – 2.40: Year 5 come to the hall for their workshop …

2.40 – 3.15: Year 6 come to the hall for their workshop.

Are there any technical requirements?

Your visitor will need access to a laptop/ screen/projector set up in the working space, so that pupils can view the supporting PowerPoint.