Bomb Blasts Blue Class!

During this morning's assembly Blue Class received a direct hit in an air raid. So unexpected was the raid that the sirens failed to sound and Mr Mansell was caught by the blast and knocked unconscious.

Much of the outside of the building was damaged.

"A scene of devastation met the children's eyes..."

A scene of devastation met the children's eyes as they returned to the classroom, expecting to start their literacy lesson. Much of the outside of the building was damaged, with bricks strewn across the ground, making entry to the classroom difficult. Inside the room, tables and chairs had been thrown around by the blast. 

Thankfully the teaching assistants quickly took charge of the situation and kept everyone calm. When Mr Mansell finally came round, and the gash on his head was cleaned up, the job of tidying up the mess began. 

"We were very lucky really," remarked Mr Pearce (headteacher). "The damage was all superficial and nobody was seriously injured. The children were very sensible and remained relatively calm in the circumstances."

Mrs Lander, a qualified first-aider, who was amongst the first on the scene, told us, "Mr Mansell bravely soldiered on in the true British spirit, despite receiving a nasty head wound." 

In spite of the damage and mess that the blast caused, everyone involved was determined not to let their spirits flag.

"If Hitler thinks sending his bombers over here will make us surrender he's another thing coming," said Mr Mansell. "He'll have to do better than that!"

Black History Month

During the past few weeks, assemblies have focused on celebrating Black History Month. We have looked at the stories of individuals including: Martin Luther King, Mary Seacole, Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela.

The main purpose has been to develop an understanding as to how individuals and groups have striven to overcome inequality and create fairness for all. It's important not to forget the determination shown by so many people, not just those listed, in making this world a fairer place for everyone.

Blue Class, as part of their World War II topic, also looked at the role of the Tuskegee Airmen and their bid to be treated equally as pilots rather than just undertaking routine labouring jobs in the USAAF.

Veteran Visit

Blue Class had the honour today of being visited by World War II veteran, Captain Albert Pond, tank commander with the Desert Rats. He spoke to the children about his experiences of war, fighting in the battle of El Alamein as a tank commander and taking part in the invasion of Italy. He talked of the blistering desert heat that he and his men had to endure, and explained why water is such a precious resource when you have so little available. He recounted the injuries he had sustained in duty and the problems they faced with flies, scorpions and dung beetles! He shared the story of how he came to possess a Hitler-Youth knife, given as a gift of thanks by a German Officer for an act of kindness towards his two young children.

His stories were both moving and interesting and the children were gripped by what he had to say. Through his words, the children were able to glimpse the stark realities of war and what it must have been like for those on the front line. We offer our most heart-felt thanks to Captain Pond for offering to share his memories with us, and for the difficulties he had to endure that we might be free from tyranny.

Blue Class Evacuated

Prior to the outbreak of war, children in Blue Class were evacuated to safety today. Over the weekend the pupils were asked to pack an overnight bag with essentials and come to school with a packed lunch.
When they arrived this morning there was some speculation as to what would be happening, but it wasn't until shortly before 9:30am that Mr Mansell explained that the children were to be evacuated to safety.

They were told that they would be spending a week at a school in Tolleshunt D'Arcy, effectively 'swapping' places with pupils from there. Mr Mansell told the children that they would walk down to the village green, where the coach would meet them, to take them to their new homes.

There was a mixture of feelings: some were understandably nervous and a little anxious, whilst others were excited at the prospect of something new.

The class set off, pausing briefly at the school gates to wave goodbye to their siblings who had come out to see them off. They then proceeded along the street and along to the road towards the village green.

The children were all very brave, and there were no tears, but there were certainly some relieved looks when Mr Mansell then explained that it was all made up and they wouldn't be going anywhere!

We followed up our 'evacuation' with some literacy work on diary writing about their experience, which will be continued this week.

I hope the children will all remember the experience for a long time and that it will be a tale they can tell their children in years to come!