Pupils in Year 3 at Brickhill Primary School have become hometown tourists as they celebrated local history in a new topic.
Their class teacher, Dan Veal, created a topic called ‘Beda’s Ford’ to give the children a greater knowledge and appreciation for where they live.
Dan enlisted the help of the Higgins Museum and local historian and tour guide, David Fowler, who was thrilled to be able to help.
“I was grateful to have support from local experts whilst designing the topic, as it cemented the research that had been conducted,” said Dan.
“It also added an element of excitement in the classroom when I explained this to the children.”
The topic included studying the architecture of the town and students learned about the Harpur Centre (originally Bedford Modern School), the Magistrates Court and the life and work of locally born architect John Usher.
One child had their work featured on the Harpur Centre’s social media pages, as they had been inspired by the work of Edward Blore.
Students learned about the rise and fall of Bedford Castle and had a ‘virtual tour’ (due to COVID restrictions) of the town centre. Families were encouraged to visit the town on their daily exercise or shopping trips to build on what they’d learned in the classroom.
Alongside the historical aspects, they spent time studying The River Great Ouse from source to mouth.
“Bedford has a lot of interesting history,” said local historian, David Fowler. “It is great to see it being taught to year 3 pupils at Brickhill Primary.”
Teacher, Dan Veal, said that the children really enjoyed learning about their hometown and were completely engaged in the topic. “I feel it is important for children to learn about their local history as they can then appreciate their cultural heritage,” he said.
Headteacher, Debbie Wilson, added: “There was a buzz of excitement from the children, and they were all so proud of their work when they showed me.
“The topic was a great opportunity for them to learn things that a lot of adults may not have known.”
