WW2 activity 5: Plan a school evacuation day

Learning objectives

Increased knowledge and understanding of WW2 Home Front, the bombing of Folkestone in WW2, and evacuation of children to safe areas of the UK.

Curriculum links

KS1-2 History (WW2 Home Front, Local Area Study).

KS1-2 English (speaking and listening, role play)
KS1-2 Geography (look at the evacuation route and destination)

Pretend your class are being evacuated to South Wales from Folkestone Central Railway Station.

Children come to school with gas masks, evacuee suitcases and evacuee labels.The day might include some of the following:

• Being checked off at school
• Create an Evacuation poster
• Pack an evacuee suitcase (There are 16 items but you can only take 10). Which are essential? Which will you leave behind?
• Being walked down to Folkestone Central railway station (school hall)
• Saying goodbye to parents and boarding the train (role play)
• Evacuee packed lunch (what were you allowed to eat on the journey?)
• What happened when you got there? Allocated to families.
• Explore real evacuee experiences of Folkestone children (excellent content on the WW2 People’s War website).
• Write an evacuee postcard or short letter home.

Here is a great memory of the evacuation of the Harvey Girls Grammar School to Wales on the WW2 People’s War website:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/63/a2362763.shtml

There are thousands of other WW2 memories here including many more evacuation stories. Search them at:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/categories/index.shtml

Look at the Evacuation posters in Learn with Objects WW2 9: Evacuation.

Design your own evacuation poster to encourage parents to send their children to a safe place away from potential bombing and German invasion.

Learn with Objects links

Use Learn with Objects WW2 9: Evacuation for info and images.