By Mrs Cruse (Head of Years 7 and 8)

To mark the Holocaust Memorial Day, which was observed globally on Sunday 27th January 2024, our Years 7, 8 and 9 students had a reflective assembly about this year’s theme, Fragility of Freedom.

Holocaust Memorial Day was explained, and a definition of genocide was provided. This was followed by an examination of a quote from Anne Frank’s diary, written on Saturday June 20th June 1942, when the Germans arrived in the Netherlands: “That is when the trouble started for the Jews. Our freedom was severely restricted by a series of anti-Jewish decrees.”

Our students were asked to ponder four questions: What does it mean to be free? What can free people do that those who are not free cannot? What does freedom look like in your life? And what impedes your freedom? We reflected upon human rights, civil liberties, choice of religion, self-belief, and the choice of being who you want to be, considering what it would be like if these choices and freedoms were taken away.

Together, we watched a short film explaining how the Nazis' persecution of the Jews became law and how this made us feel. This was then linked to another quote from Anne Frank: “You couldn’t do this and you couldn’t do that, but life went on.” We also discussed how this year marks 30 years since the genocide in Rwanda and emphasized the ongoing need to learn lessons. The assembly urged all students to pledge not to take freedoms for granted and to consider what we can do to strengthen freedoms worldwide.

Year 7 and 8 students have also been exploring the Holocaust during form time, investigating into the details of how it happened. They have also listened to stories from survivors and will be asked to reflect on why Holocaust Memorial Day is important, the freedoms they have, and why these freedoms cannot be taken for granted.

Year 9 students are currently studying the arrival of Jewish people in Britain, completing an investigation into the Battle for Cable Street in 1936 and working on projects related to the Holocaust.