Hellesdon High School is an 11-18 co educational comprehensive secondary school in Norwich. The History Department has worked with the Centre for Holocaust Education since July 2012, when Thomas Spillane attended a five day study visit to the USHMM in Washington.

Since then, the whole History Department at Hellesdon has attended the CPD Day 1 (held at Hellesdon High School) and has established a network with other local schools. Hellesdon High School has arranged to host Day 2 of the CPD in July 2014. Following a joint INSET, the Religious Studies Department at Hellesdon High School now teaches genocide alongside the History Department’s Holocaust and Genocide lessons to give a more joined up approach to the subject.

All teachers in the History Department have taught a lesson from the excellent IOE resources and had the lessons videoed for professional development.

Thomas Spillane and Elisabeth Kelleway have also devised two lessons on the warning signs of genocide which have also been videoed. Elisabeth and Thomas have also collaborated with Professor Terry Haydn from the University of East Anglia in writing an article about the lessons and the department’s work with the IOE for the Historical Association’s Teaching History Magazine.