Page 20 - link magazine

20 The Link Magazine • November 2002
Uncovering history locally
For the
A teachers support assistant at Salt Way School is using her fascination with local history to put together
tailor made projects for primary schools.
attention
Completely off her own back and is so much material available. It's
without any external funding, fascinating when it's arranged to of parents.....
Frances Bevan from Middleleaze stimulate a child's imagination and
has undertaken research and writ- you see them getting deeper and Swindon Guide to
ten programmes of study focused deeper into a topic."
on Lydiard Tregoze and Lydiard Salt Way headteacher Sue Primary & Secondary
Millicent. Butcher, a history specialist her- Schools Admissions
Her work fits in with the na- self, said she was bowled over by
tional curriculum topic areas: What Frances' work. "This is an abso- 2003/2004
was it like to live here in the past?' and lutely wonderful resource which
How did life change in our locality in we must find a way of using. On page 16 the
Victorian times? "The material is so local and rel- admission limit for
Over the last two years Frances evant to what children learn about
2003/2004 for
has poured through the archives the locality they live in. History
of Lydiard House and the Mrs Butcher and Frances Bevan comes alive for them when they Catherine Wayte
Bolingbroke estate, visited the looking through her research work know the person they are research- Primary School is
National Monument Record Cen- 1830. Also covered is the growth of ing could have lived or worked on stated as 60.
tre for clues, trawled through the Swindon from the early days of a nearby farm or walked across
Local Studies Archive at Swindon the Great Western Railway in the fields you can actually see to work It should state 30
reference library and travelled to 1840s right up to the decision to at Lydiard House." as the admission
Trowbridge to study documents build West Swindon. However Mrs Butcher pointed
held at the Wiltshire and Swindon The work books ask pupils to out that teachers have to prepare limit for
Record Office. discover all they can from the re- lesson plans up to a year in ad- 2003 / 2004. Swmoon
The result is a collection of maps, sources Frances has prepared vance but she would see how
photocopies of census returns and whilst imagining themselves as a Frances' work can be built into the
trade directories, birth, marriage character from the past: a dairy maid school's curriculum.
and death certificates, newspaper on a farm or a worker at Lydiard Frances is now working on a
cuttings, ephemera and photo- House. She has also included ideas second project with a focus on the
graphs, linked to information for art and craft, creative writing, Tregoze School area.
booklets, all ready for a teacher to mapping and IT activities. She is also seeking funding so
develop lessons for their local his- "I've always loved local history that she can spend more time on
tory project for the term. and what started out as a fairly research and take on projects for
She includes references to the small scale project to satisfy my other primary schools. To make
Lydiards in the Domesday Book of own interest just started to grow," contact, telephone The Link or mail:
1086 and the Agricultural Riots of said Frances. "When you look there francesbevan @hotmail.com

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