At the end of April and the start of May 2020, Deer Park pupils were busy researching, quizzing and street partying in the name of Humanities Faculty in Focus.

This year, the Humanities Faculty focused on VE Day and its significance in 2020. Alongside the national celebrations and commemorations to mark 75 years, our pupils had three challenges to deepen their understanding of VE Day, to find out about the role of their family in the Second World War and to celebrate the end of conflict.

1. Firstly, pupils were challenged to a 20 question WW2 Quiz and we had a fantastic response with over 500 pupils taking part and an amazing 92 scoring full marks! There were also some incredibly thoughtful responses to our bonus question about why it is important to remember VE Day; Phoebe in Year 8 and Ed in Year 7 stressed the need to learn key lessons from WW2 to ensure sure events are never repeated.
2. Secondly, pupils were given the chance to research their family histories. Miss Brace used her family history as an example for our pupils and it has been a pleasure to read so many incredible tales of determination and strength. The stories we read covered everything, from evacuation and fighting on the front line to the Women’s Land Army and the Home Guard. Amongst all the amazing and inspiring stories, Elodie and Tom’s stories were two that really caught our imagination. Every story we read was a tale of bravery and resilience and we can learn many lessons from these tales as we continue to live through these strange times.
3. Finally, pupils were encouraged to take inspiration from our staff video and to stage their own socially distanced VE Day street party! Both Tallulah and Arabella hosted a great party with some delicious food! It was great to see so many of you celebrating and commemorating this key event and the baking skills on show would have made Paul Hollywood proud.

We would like to thank all the pupils (and family members) who got involved in the variety of activities on offer in the run up to VE Day on 8 May 2020. We hope that you continue to stay safe, work hard and we hope to be able to see you all soon.

Mr Ferne, History teacher