Torpoint Community College are currently working with us as a UCL Beacon School: our first partner in this project to be based in Cornwall.
Charlotte Lane, Lead Teacher in the college describes the beneficial effect on students, and across the curriculum:
“Since being awarded our UCL Beacon School in Holocaust Education status last year, we have already begun to notice huge changes in student classroom engagement and participation. Levels of investigation and responses to questions are much higher than in previous years and students are genuinely motivated in each lesson, due to activities being supported by quality resources provided by UCL Centre for Holocaust Education and in addition, sessions which are centred within the Centre’s pedagogy of teaching and learning. We have seen that students are more inquisitive, more curious and ask more questions, with an increased level of maturity.
This impact is not limited to the classroom. The displays and resources provided by the Centre have provoked huge levels of interest from other students and staff; the timeline resource being displayed in a corridor was a real conversation point.”
Staff are enthused not only by the outcomes of students at this early stage, but also by the level of commitment and support that UCL Centre for Holocaust Education has to offer us. Our headteacher commented; “Working with UCL on this project has been a real pleasure; those involved in the Beacon Schools project have worked in partnership with the College. Although at an early stage, the teachers and students here have clearly benefited and UCL continue to support the college across other areas”.
Students undertake work focused on the Holocaust Memorial Garden at Torpoint Community College:
“In the near future, as well as teaching the causes and effects of genocide and the Holocaust across three subjects areas, we are very much looking forward to the majority of staff delivering lessons across the whole college, as part of our Rights Respecting Schools status. This would not have occurred, had we not engaged in the UCL Beacon Schools programme. To say it has changed our practice would perhaps be an understatement!
We are very excited about the next few months and are anticipating fantastic outcomes for our students, as the programmes of study develop across the college and we continue our partnership with UCL Centre for Holocaust Education.”
Twitter: TCC_BeaconHolo
