On the last two days of term before the May half term holiday, 114 Year 7 pupils and 12 members of staff, led by our English Faculty, went to Belgium on the 7th Deer Park Private Peaceful trip.

Our first stop was the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917. This interactive military history museum tells the story of WW1 in the Ypres Salient through a variety of enlightening and thought-provoking exhibits. All of our pupils were respectful and reflective during the walk through the Memorial Hall which finished with an exhibit commemorating the variety of people that were involved with and gave their lives in the "war to end all wars" (an expression coined by author HG Wells).

From the area of Passchendaele we travelled to Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the world. It is the resting place of more than 11,900 servicemen of the British Empire from the First World War. We conducted our own remembrance ceremony in honour of those people that have given their lives in war and conflict across the world. It was a thoughtful, poignant and reflective moment for all involved.

During our visit to Tyne Cot, pupils were given the opportunity to find any relatives that are commemorated at the cemetery. It is always a significant moment when a pupil finds that personal connection to a war that happened over a century ago.

From Tyne Cot we made our way to our hotel, where a tasty and nourishing meal was had by all, before the pupils (and, very soon afterwards, the teachers) headed off to bed for some rest before an early start on the Friday morning.

Friday was another day packed with a unique combination of excitement, reflection and tea - more of that later! Our first stop was Bedford House Cemetery, where Michael Morpurgo found the inspiration for the name of his novel. We saw the grave of Thomas S.H. Peacefull (the spelling is slightly different from the book!) and heard the story of how Morpurgo decided on the name.

Next, our three coaches made their way to Poperinge, the area where British and Allied troops spent some of their time away from front line conflict, known as ‘Pop’ to the soldiers. During the war, Poperinge was a town behind the front line where weary soldiers based in the Ypres Salient went for some respite and relaxation. It was here that our pupils and staff experienced some local culture, with a stroll through the town centre and the weekly Friday market.

Our visit culminated in a visit to Talbot House, aka Every Man's House, where we made a large donation of tea bags, heard stories from behind the front line and listened to one of our pupils playing the piano beautifully. See the Talbot House Facebook page for video of Tim's rendition of 'We're walking in the air'.

This whirlwind trip to Europe was a great success - our pupils asked many excellent questions, they were really involved in the experience and their behaviour was excellent. We hope that this is an experience that will remain with them.

It is now more than 100 years since the end of WW1 and the deaths of an estimated 17 million people. Publishing this report 75 years since D-Day in June 1944, we are reminded once more of the importance of dialogue between nations and the need for peace.