Education is not just about textbooks and classrooms; it is an experience that shapes our lives and the communities we belong to. The Through Our Eyes Heritage Project aims to bring history to life by giving school children the chance to delve into the rich heritage of their own schools. By exploring the past, pupils can gain a deeper appreciation of their schools and develop a stronger sense of identity.
In the behind the scenes, we will show the significance of the project and add updates about what the young people are learning!
Week 1
Our first session was on 25th of May. Year 6 started the project by brainstorming the different ways they could try to learn about the history of their school. The most popular ideas were to read books, look online or in archives, and to talk to people personally.
Research began shortly after by first looking through centenary booklets. They were then shown two pictures of Burnt Oak Junior School, one old and one new, and attempted to spot as many differences as they could.
Working with the Bexley Archivist Oliver Wooller added a fantastic dimension to the session as he was a wealth of information! The session ended with a question asking segment regarding how to research effectively.
Week 2
Week 2 kicked off with organising the students into filming and research crews before using the schools centenary booklet to consider the similarities and differences between their school in the present day, as opposed to in WWII.
The students then had a look at 3 very old photographs of the school and went exploring to find those parts of school in real life; observing the bizarre changes through time for themselves! A fun quiz followed to get ideas flowing!
This fascinating session came to a close with each class starting to create shooting scripts that will be used on the day of filming!
Week 3
On the 22nd June 2023, the Year 6 pupils visited Bexley Council Archives. The children were excited to use a range of different resources at the archives. This included computers and micro film readers to explore photographs and newspaper articles. They also investigated log books and other documents. Bexley Archivist, Oliver Wooller, gave a talk to the classes and the children were surprised to learn that Burnt Oak Juniors had once been a Primary School. They also enjoyed finding out many other fascinating facts. The visit was a great success!
Week 4
The 29th June 2023 was our filming day at Burnt Oak. Following their research workshops, each group 'or mini e2e Crew' had written a script about a different part of the timeline in Burnt Oak's history.
We had a wet and dry weather plan; Burnt Oak had set aside the main hall for us in case it rained, and we decided it was best to use the hall as the chances of rain were high.
Two members of our e2e Crew met us at school first thing and helped to set up the cameras and sound for six filming stations. The children came down one class at a time for their session. Within the classes were two of our junior crew who also helped support the others.
Everyone really enjoyed being a part of a mini-Crew, filming and presenting to camera. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to shine, even those who may find it more tricky to feel engaged in the normal classroom routines. Also, a number of them who didn’t normally talk within groups or to their class, were able to present to the camera confidently. Other children who would never normally experience leading a session embraced being a Director and keeping everything organised. The effect on them was quite mesmerising.
Each group recorded their script two to three times, and they thoroughly enjoyed their filming session. Overall, it was a great experience and when we collected their feedback it was extremely positive.
"It was great to see our research coming to life during the filming session. We experienced various TV Production roles which was a really cool way of working together as a team." Burnt Oak Junior School, Yr 6 pupils
We're working with Josh Alward at Vital Thread to edit the children's work. You can see them in action in the first behind the scenes video to be released:
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