Y13 History Students Trip to Auschwitz

Yesterday, our Year 13 History students and 160 students and staff from all over the East Midlands visited Krakow for the day accompanied by the Lessons From Auschwitz Educators. Firstly, we visited the town of Oswiecim in which Auschwitz is situated so the students could better understand what Jewish life was like before the Holocaust. From there, we were  able to compare photographs from the market in the centre of the town and appreciate the Jewish communities. Next we had a tour of Auschwitz, the first camp, with a local guide who put into perspective the scale of the awful atrocities there. Finally, we visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was the extermination camp on the complex. Here the students were asked to read testimonies and poems from victims there at different points, to help them appreciate that all the victims were individuals with unique experiences and should be remembered as such. The students were wonderful and left the day with a new perspective and appreciation for life and education.

Miss Hannah Davies

Teacher of History