Snowballs fly as pupils re-enact Dunkirk in the snow , Teesdale Mercury

 

Children at Cotherstone School made the most of the recent snow when they re-enacted the Dunkirk evacuation using sledges instead of boats. 

Classes 2 and 3 at the school are currently studying the Second World War and to bring the events at Dunkirk to life they pretended to be the British, French and German troops involved in the evacuation.

As an introduction the pupils were taught some of the details of the events which took place between the end of May and the beginning of June 1940. They then went outside where the whole school joined in.

Class 1 children were the British Expeditionary Force and the French troops who needed to be got safely away from the advancing German army; children from Class 3 used sledges as the ‘little ships’ to ferry the younger ones to safety across the Channel – or playground – while Class 2 – the German army – advanced slowly down the school field towards the Allies. 

Snowballs were flying as the RAF and Luftwaffe battled it out around the children sledges trying to evacuate everyone in the nine minutes they had – representing the nine days of the conflict. 

At last, as the Germans arrived at the edge of the playground, the remaining Allies had been taken to safety.

Class 1 teacher Maggie Goddard said “Our children loved being evacuated – the activity brought the history to life and was a memorable experience for all of us.”