A cross-Channel link gave children an unforgettable look at war, says Sheila Holden – connecting different curriculum areas and fostering inclusion at an international level

The ‘war to end all wars’ officially came to an end on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Every year, Remembrance Day is held on the closest Sunday to this date in recognition of the horrific cost in human lives and in suffering. The First World War, of course, failed to ‘end all wars’, and we continue to be appalled at the suffering inflicted on fellow human beings in conflicts around the world.

Indeed, rather than ending all wars, it might well be seen to have heralded the form of modern conflicts with their use of industrial resources and propaganda.

In November 2007, staff from various Birmingham schools travelled to Normandy to plan a cross-curricular project, supported by a grant from the Lefèvre Trust programme, which is managed by the British Council and provides funding for visits that support joint projects between young people in the UK and France.

Pupils in the partner schools in Birmingham and Normandy would look at the phenomenon of the First World War. The end product of this project was a performance staged at Calthorpe School and Golden Hillock School in Birmingham and at the Maison Familiale Rurale (MFR) de St Sauveur Lendelin in Normandy. Through music, poetry, dialogue, dance, movement and images, the event touched on an understanding of the commonality of suffering brought about by war, regardless of nationality, race or religion.

An inclusive project for an inclusive school

Calthorpe School is located in the heart of Birmingham. The school has been recognised by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust as a high-performing specialist school and has three specialisms: Sport, Maths and Computing, and Languages. The area is designated as an area of socio-economic deprivation with many of the pupils coming from low-income families. Almost half of all pupils at the school take free school meals. The school caters for 289 pupils aged two to 19 years with a wide range of special needs, including severe learning disabilities and complex needs (both profound and multiple learning difficulties and autism).

Pupils from Calthorpe School and our local mainstream secondary, Golden Hillock School, began rehearsing the songs, dances and movements for the show in January, keeping in contact with the MFR in France so that their students could prepare as well. Early in the summer term, MFR students stayed for a week in Birmingham, rehearsing extremely hard with pupils from Calthorpe and Golden Hillock, and staged a performance at the end of April.

The Birmingham pupils then spent the first week of June in France rehearsing again, finding the time for some visits to local sites of interest, and finally staging the show for an audience of local people. Both shows were very well received indeed, and were met with a deeply emotional response.

An amazing experience for pupils and staff

The project provided an excellent opportunity for real inclusion in an international setting. The hard work required from staff at Calthorpe and Golden Hillock paid off, and the pupils had an amazing experience. Says 18-year-old Irfanulla: “My favourite part of the show was with the gas masks when we had to pretend that we were choking, go on the floor and put the gas masks on. That was the best bit.”

There were many highlights during the project. The most notable, and perhaps the most rewarding, was the sheer enjoyment of witnessing our pupils on stage in the final performance. It is true to say that the project has had enormous benefits for both staff and pupils. Staff involved in the project have commented that this has given them confidence to undertake similar projects with our other international partner schools in China, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

The funding from the Lefèvre Trust was crucial in making the project viable and giving special school pupils a breadth and depth of experience which would have been difficult to achieve otherwise. Like all such activities, it took a lot of hard work, long hours and immense patience. The result involved special needs pupils in performances that visibly moved their audiences. For any other special school with grand ideas, contact the Lefèvre Trust and brace yourselves for a rollercoaster ride!

Sheila Holden is Deputy Headteacher at Calthorpe School, Birmingham

More info Do you have a school or youth link with a French partner? If so, you could apply for an award of up to £10,000 from the Lefèvre Trust to support a joint project. We welcome applications from all sectors working with 11 to 19-yearolds, particularly those involving young people who would not usually have access to international opportunities. To find out more, visit www.britishcouncil.org/schoolpartnerships-france-lefevre-trust If you would like to find a partner school in France, visit www.globalgateway.org or contact the friendly team at editor@globalgateway.org