Core CPD Programme Module 1 Preparing for your

These modules were originally created to support those teachers going on one of the nationally-

funded battlefield tours as part of the First World War Centenary commemorations between 2014

and 2020. They have been amended to support any teacher planning on visiting the battlefields.

Core CPD Programme Module 1 – Preparing for your battlefields tour

This is the first of three online modules that make up our core CPD programme. Before going any further it is worth considering the following key questions as these will influence what you do to prepare for your battlefields tour:

Key questions for you to consider

What are you hoping to get out of this battlefields tour? (E.g. to visit the battlefield sites on the Western Front for the first time and explore the potential

for organising your own school visits in the future; to improve your existing school visits to the

Western Front by seeing what onsite expertise we have to offer and whether this can add value;

to follow in the footsteps of a local unit or an individual, or a combination of these or something

completely different.)

What do you want to focus on during the tour?

(E.g. to investigate specific battlefield sites with your students to find out more about the history

of the Western Front; to study a key part of the curriculum eg Medicine on the Western Front;

to investigate different battlefield sites as part of a wider historical enquiry on the First World

War which you and your students are planning to undertake in school; to use the battlefield

sites with your students to feed into a cross curricular or wider community initiative on the First

World War; a combination of these or something completely different.)

Are you hoping to be able to use the tour to carry out further research into how

the First World War affected your school’s community?

(E.g.to investigate a specific local regiment, battalion; to investigate specific individuals who

served on the Western Front.)

What exactly do you want your students to do whilst on the battlefield sites?

It is vitally important that you plan your own onsite activities and to prepare your students

beforehand. This way they will be able to make the most of what they see and hear, to make

the most of an expert battlefield guide who can be on hand at all times to offer their expertise,

and carry out a meaningful enquiry that they can share with their classmates and community

on their return to school.

Print off the notebook at the end of this module and use it to record your answers

to these questions and other activities that are contained in this module.




Why was our education programme unique?

Many schools already visit the battlefields of Northern France and Belgium, so why was this

programme unique?

Deepen your knowledge and

understanding - The ‘one

teacher/two student’ ratio gave

teachers time to review current

practice, ‘trial’ onsite teaching and

learning methods, and study a

range of battlefield sites in greater

depth

Teacher development -

Teachers had access to a

continually expanding and

leading edge CPD programme

which helped transform the

teaching and learning of the

First World War both in the

classroom and on the

battlefield.

Battlefield expertise – Each coach on

the tour was accompanied by an

experienced guide accredited by the

Guild of Battlefield Guides – on hand

at all times to share their considerable

expertise.

Access to a wealth of resources – Pre

and post visit, teachers had access to a

dedicated project website containing a

wealth of classroom resources,

guidance, case studies, online CPD

modules, and podcasts by leading

educators and historians.

Expand your reach through

networking – Our tours provided

the opportunity for teachers to

meet teachers from other schools

and over the four days to share

good practice and even establish

permanent links both locally and

beyond.

Create an enduring legacy – An

inspiring and engaging post visit

Legacy110 project to commemorate the

First World War Centenary.

Become a battlefields expert yourself –

Many took advantage of the opportunity

to become one of our Specialist Leaders,

sharing their expertise and support with

our outreach work across the country.

Genuine research –

Gained free access to

the rich archives held

by Lives of the First

World War to give

student’s research

real meaning.

Enhance your curriculum – Our website

materials and tour activities enabled

students to pursue meaningful

historical enquiries and go well beyond

conventional approaches to learning

about the First World War.

Use digital technology to

optimise learning - A digital

social media platform enabled

teachers and students to create

and share content.

Why was our

programme

unique?




Now familiarise yourself with one of the battlefield sites on the Western Front:

Activity 1: making the most of a battlefield site with your students.

The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing

The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is on one of the highest points of land on the old Somme

battlefield. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, a famous architect, the memorial was built between 1928 and 1932 and

is the largest British war memorial in the world. It is a memorial to the 72,192 missing British and South African men

who died on the Somme battlefields between 1915 and March 1918 and who have no known grave. The panels on

the memorial are arranged by regiment, then within each regiment by rank and within that alphabetically. There are

cemetery registers, but if there is a particular name you are looking for you would be better locating this by using the

CWGC website in advance of any visit or whilst in the visitor’s centre. (Optional CPD module 1 support this activity

and can be downloaded here - http://www.centenarybattlefieldtours.org/cpd/online-cpd-library/optional/ )

On arrival today there are large information boards outlining the history of Thiepval Memorial alongside the path to

the visitor centre. In the visitor centre there is scale model of the Memorial and an exhibition giving an overview of the

course of the First World War and detailing the events of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. In the entrance there is a

panel of 600 photographs representing some of the 72,192 men whose names are commemorated on the nearby

Memorial. The Thiepval Database Project aims to collate as much information about the ‘Missing’ as possible.

http://www.centenarybattlefieldtours.org/cpd/online-cpd-library/optional/

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Thiepval_m%C3%A9morial_(face_avant)_1.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Thiepval_m%C3%A9morial_(noms_grav%C3%A9s)_1.jpg




Use the information, photographs, and if time, your own research to consider how you might use

this site on a visit with your students.

Use your notebook to record your answers to these questions.

What would your students need to know before their arrival at the site?

What specific activities you might use on site – in the visitor centre and on and around the

memorial itself?

How might you use the site to make links to your students’ own community?

How might you link your students’ learning here to other sites they might visit on the Somme?

What might you do to help your students reflect on what they have seen?

James Pendlebury

11th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment

(The Accrington Pals).

Finally, take a look at our battlefields sites booklet in this website (in the Battlefield Tours section

http://www.centenarybattlefieldtours.org/battlefield-tours/tour-highlights-and-resources/ and compare your

activities with the ones we have suggested.

http://www.centenarybattlefieldtours.org/battlefield-tours/tour-highlights-and-resources/




What should you do prior to, during, and after the tour?

As a basic minimum...

To fully utilise the tour...

Think about what you and your

students will do at each site.

Our battlefields sites booklet

includes suggested activities but

you will still need to select which

ones to use and to adapt these.

Do you want your students to

investigate how the War

affected their own community?

What research will they need to

carry out beforehand? How will

they share their experiences

back in school? CPD Modules

2 and 3 will help you plan for

this.

The students going on the

tour should have some

contextual knowledge and

understanding of the First

World War and the

significance of the Somme and

Ypres Salient. Brief them on

where they are going and what

they will see.

Once you receive your tour

itinerary familiarise yourself

with each site to be visited.

Consider how you might link

your tour to a post tour project.

What information will need to

be captured on the tour? What

activities will your students

need to undertake? What

equipment will be needed?

CPD Module 3 will help you to

use the tour to plan a post tour

project.

Be clear about the purpose of

the tour for your selected

students. What knowledge and

understanding of the First World

War will they need to make the

most of the sites they visit? How

will their onsite research on the

tour contribute to the enquiry

they are undertaking? Will they

use all the sites in the same

way? If they are conducting an

enquiry into the Battle of the

Somme what use might they

make of the sites they visit

around Ypres? How will they

record their research findings?

How will they share these with

the rest of the class back in

school?

Well before going on the tour

plan an historical enquiry

which enables your students

to link a key question relating

to a wider aspect of the War to

research they might carry out

on the battlefield sites. For

example, an enquiry on the

significance of the Battle of the

Somme could be the basis of

some pre-visit research and

onsite investigation. CPD

Module 2 will help you plan

your enquiry.




Our battlefields sites tour book – a version is available on the website to support your CPD work and pre-

tour planning. http://www.centenarybattlefieldtours.org/battlefield-tours/tour-highlights-and-resources/

Now familiarise yourself with some typical tour itineraries for the Western Front:

Activity 2: making the most of a battlefield itinerary with your students.

By coming on one of our battlefields tours we hope this might encourage you to plan a

school tour of your own in the near future or review an existing tour that you organise to the

Western Front.

This activity is intended to develop your understanding of how to plan an effective

battlefields tour. It will also help you become more familiar with the type of itinerary we offer

which covers various sites on the Somme and the Ypres Salient over 3 days.

Below are the first two days of a typical itinerary though it is incomplete. We have

made the assumption that the tour party is staying at our residential centre in Ashford

the night before and will spend a third day touring additional sites and travelling back

to the UK.

Day 1: the Somme

07:30 hrs Cross the channel 10:30 hrs Ulster Memorial Tower, Thiepval Woods and Mill Road Cemetery Address: Route de St Pierre Divion, 80300 Thiepval, France 12:00 hrs Packed lunch 12:45 hrs Sheffield Memorial Park Address: Rue du Mailly Maillet (D919) 62116 Hebuterne, France 14:00 hrs [Left blank for you to choose a site] Address: France 15:10 hrs Thiepval Memorial Address: Memorial Britannique, 80300 Authuille, France 16:15 hrs Devonshire Cemetery Address: 80300 Mametz, France. 18:30 hrs Arrive at the accommodation in Ypres for evening meal and overnight

stay





Use this and our battlefields sites booklet in this website (in the Battlefield Tours

section http://www.centenarybattlefieldtours.org/battlefield-tours/tour-highlights-

and-resources/ to complete the following tasks.

Record your answers in your notebook.

Consider the timings. Are they realistic? Could you visit four or five sites in one day with 40+

students? Have the students been given any/enough/too much free time?

Is it worthwhile trying to cover both the Somme and the Ypres Salient over two-three days

or is it better to concentrate on one area and spend more time visiting the sites there?

Day 2: the Ypres Salient

10:30 hrs Tyne Cot Cemetery Address: Tynecotstraat 22-28, 8980 Zonnebeke, Belgium 12:00 hrs [Left blank for you to choose a site] Address: Belgium 13:00 hrs Packed lunch 14:00 hrs Memorial Museum Passchendaele Address: Ieperstraat 7A, 8980 Zonnebeke, Belgium 16:00 hrs In Flanders Field Museum, Ypres Address: Grote Markt 34 8900 Ieper, Belgium 18:00 hrs Evening meal and shopping in Ypres 19:30 hrs Ceremony of the Last Post at the Menin Gate, Ypres Address: Menenstraat, 8900 Ieper, Belgium 21.15 hrs Return to the accommodation in Ypres prior to final morning touring sites around Ypres and an early afternoon departure to the UK on Day 3.






What attempt has been made to provide a range and balance of different types of sites on

each day?

What theme could you use as a basis for an historical enquiry that gives the tour an

overall coherence and provides a strong focus for your students?

Ulster Memorial Tower and Mill Road Cemetery (Day 1) – what possibilities does this

seemingly ‘less obvious’ site provide for your students – it has a memorial, graves and

trench system in one place?

Why have we included the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate on Day 2 of the itinerary?

Would it be better to visit the Menin Gate during the day when it is less crowded?

Look at the gaps in the itinerary. What additional sites would you add into the itinerary on

each day and what is the rationale behind your choice?

Are there any sites in the itinerary that you might leave out/replace with others?

How have we attempted to build in opportunities for the students on this tour (they are from

the South West) to investigate a specific local regiment, battalion, individual who served on

the Western Front? What site(s) could you include for your students to do the same?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/035_-_Ulster_Tower,_Thiepval,_France.jpg




Now plan an itinerary for a final morning of a tour using the template below – see your

notebook for a copy. Don’t forget to take a look at our battlefields sites booklet for ideas.

Recap

Key questions for you to consider – think carefully about what you want your students to get from this tour.

Preparation – make the most of your battlefields tour by preparing thoroughly. Use

this core CPD programme and the resources on this website to ensure that you and

your students get the most from what the tour has to offer.

An enduring legacy – think ahead about how your students will share their

experiences on their return to school.

Next steps – at a time appropriate for you go on to complete the core CPD programme

by taking our two further core online modules – Module 2: Devising an effective onsite

enquiry and Module 3: Planning a Legacy110 project.

Day 3: _________________

08:00 hrs Departure from the accommodation in Ypres

Time Name of site/activity Location

15:30 hrs Channel Tunnel crossing to the UK







Core CPD Programme Module 1 –Preparing for your battlefields tour with us

Teacher’s Notebook

Key questions for you to consider

What are you hoping to get out of this battlefields tour?

What do you want to focus on during the tour?

Are you hoping to be able to use the tour to carry out further research into how

the First World War affected your school’s community?

How are you going to select the two students to come with you on the tour?

What exactly do you want your students to do whilst on the battlefield sites?




What do you want your students to do on their return to school?

Activity 1 - The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing

What would your students need to know before their arrival at the site?

What specific activities you might use on site – in the visitor centre and on and around the memorial

itself?

How might you use the site to make links to your students’ own community?

How might you link your students’ learning here to other sites they might visit on the Somme?

What might you do to help your students reflect on what they have seen?

Your notes…




Activity 2 - making the most of a battlefield itinerary with your students.

Day 1: the Somme

07:30 hrs Travel to France from Ashford (Grosvenor Hall residential centre) 10:30 hrs Ulster Memorial Tower, Thiepval Woods and Mill Road Cemetery Address: Route de St Pierre Divion, 80300 Thiepval, France 12:00 hrs Packed lunch 12:45 hrs Sheffield Memorial Park Address: Rue du Mailly Maillet (D919) 62116 Hebuterne, France 14:00 hrs [Left blank for you to choose a site] Address: France 15:10 hrs Thiepval Memorial Address: Memorial Britannique, 80300 Authuille, France 16:15 hrs Devonshire Cemetery Address: 80300 Mametz, France. 18:30 hrs Arrive at the accommodation in Ypres for evening meal and overnight stay

Day 2: the Ypres Salient

10:30 hrs Tyne Cot Cemetery Address: Tynecotstraat 22-28, 8980 Zonnebeke, Belgium 12:00 hrs [Left blank for you to choose a site] Address: Belgium 13:00 hrs Packed lunch 14:00 hrs Memorial Museum Passchendaele Address: Ieperstraat 7A, 8980 Zonnebeke, Belgium 16:00 hrs In Flanders Field Museum, Ypres Address: Grote Markt 34 8900 Ieper, Belgium 18:00 hrs Evening meal and shopping in Ypres 19:30 hrs Ceremony of the Last Post at the Menin Gate, Ypres Address: Menenstraat, 8900 Ieper, Belgium 21.15 hrs Return to the accommodation in Ypres prior to final morning touring sites around Ypres and an early afternoon departure to the UK on Day 3.




Consider the timings. Are they realistic? Could you visit four or five sites in one day with 30+ students?

Have the students been given any/enough/too much free time?

Is it worthwhile trying to cover both the Somme and the Ypres Salient over 2/3 days or is it better to

concentrate on one area and spend more time visiting the sites there?

What attempt has been made to provide a range and balance of different types of sites on each day?

What theme could you use as a basis for an historical enquiry that gives the tour an overall coherence

and provides a strong focus for your students?

Ulster Memorial Tower and Mill Road Cemetery (Day 1) – what possibilities does this seemingly ‘less

obvious’ site provide for your students – it has a memorial, graves and trench system in one place?

Why have we included the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate on Day 2 of the itinerary? Would it

be better to visit the Menin Gate during the day when it is less crowded?

Look at the gaps in the itinerary. What additional sites would you add into the itinerary on each day and

what is the rationale behind your choice?

Are there any sites in the itinerary that you might leave out/replace with others?

How have we attempted to build in opportunities for the students on this tour (they are from the South

West) to investigate a specific local regiment, battalion, individual who served on the Western Front?

What site(s) could you include for your students to do the same?

Your notes…




Now plan the itinerary for the final morning of the tour using the template below.

Day 3: _________________

08:00 hrs Departure from the accommodation in Ypres

Time Name of site/activity Location

15:30 hrs Channel Tunnel crossing to the UK

Documents

Core CPD Programme Module 1 Preparing for your