Curious Swindon pupils step back in time

New Year 6 students from Noremarsh Junior School have been interviewing past pupils and staff about their educational experiences.

The first day of term saw new Year 6 students interviewing past pupils and staff, who were invited back to share their experiences of education and memories of the Noremarsh Junior school from bygone days. 

Armed with clipboards and prepared questions, the children became investigative journalists for the afternoon as they delved into the past and uncovered facts about Noremarsh Junior School from talking to their primary information sources. 

Common questions included: 'How were you punished? How has the school’s appearance changed? And - Did you wear a uniform?' 

Sue Victory, retired Deputy Head who joined the school in 1988 brought in some class photos from over the years. Staff said children were delighted when they were able to identify their own parents as well as spot some of the visitors. 

Year 6 Teacher, Claire Sexton said: “Noremarsh is this whole community with a lot of love and support in it and extra things going on and has this fantastic history as well.

“Noremarsh actually opened its doors for the first time in 1842 at a different site, before moving to its current site on the 9th of September 1968. The children are really lucky to have the chance to speak to adults who attended the school decades ago.” 

Children were able to learn more about how the school ran from an original logbook which detailed the day to day running of the school from 1968-1988, and were said to have been surprised at how many activities and equipment remained the same. 

Staff said that the visitors were able to confirm that “not much had changed” since their time at the school included the wooden flooring in the hall and the general layout of the school, although many rooms now had different functions.

This was highlighted during a tour of the school where the visitors were able to see the brand-new library that is now housed in the old ICT room. 

Year 6 are now said to be looking forward to using all their newfound information to write historical accounts of Noremarsh’s history, and are looking forward to finding out more about the school’s past in the coming weeks. 

Noremarsh Junior School is part of Ascend Learning Trust (formerly RWBA Trust). Individuals can find out more about the school by visiting: http://noremarshjuniorschool.org.uk 

To find out more about Ascend Learning Trust people can visit: http://ascendlearningtrust.org.uk