Our Approach to Remembrance at Nightingale Primary School
“Many Voices, One Effort — Remembering Together”
Now in its second year, Nightingale Primary School’s Remembrance Project has become a meaningful tradition that unites pupils, staff, and families in reflection and gratitude.
Each November, our pupils explore how remembrance connects people of all backgrounds through courage, compassion, and shared humanity.
This year’s theme, “Many Voices, One Effort — Remembering Together,” highlights the importance of listening to diverse stories of service and sacrifice while celebrating the power of peace.
Our aim is for every child — from Nursery to Year 6 — to understand that remembrance is not only about history, but about kindness, empathy, and responsibility in today’s world.
How the Project Works
Each year group explores remembrance through age-appropriate themes, creative expression, and factual understanding.
Through writing, art, discussion, and performance, pupils connect historical learning to moral reflection and citizenship.
-
Reception – Poppies and Peace (White Poppy)
Learn that poppies help us remember brave people.
Explore gratitude and kindness through stories and art.
Create fingerprint and collage poppies and dictate sentences about remembrance. -
Year 1 – Animals in War (Purple Poppy)
Learn about the animals who helped during wartime — horses, dogs, pigeons, and donkeys.
Discuss bravery, care, and teamwork.
Create animal silhouette artwork and “Letters of Thanks” to the animals that served. -
Year 2 – Children of the Home Front (Red Poppy)
Understand why poppies are a symbol of remembrance and use poetry to express gratitude for those who served.
Discuss the meaning of remembrance and look at pictures of poppies and memorials.
Learn key facts about the First World War and why poppies became a symbol of hope.
Read and model simple remembrance poems.
Write short, descriptive poppy poems using feeling words.
Create a class display titled “Poppies of Peace” featuring their poetry and artwork.
Learn that:
• The First World War ended in 1918, on 11th November at 11 o’clock.
• The war was fought on muddy battlefields in France and Belgium.
• Poppies were the only flowers that grew there and became a lasting symbol of remembrance. -
Year 3 – Women at War (Red Poppy)
Learn how women supported the war effort as nurses, codebreakers, and factory workers.
Explore stories of bravery and independence through diary writing and art.
Create silhouette collages celebrating women’s contributions. -
Year 4 – The Commonwealth’s Contribution (Black Poppy)
Discover how soldiers and workers from across the Commonwealth supported Britain in wartime.
Map contributions from India, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Write postcards of thanks and design flags of remembrance representing unity and shared sacrifice. -
Year 5 – The Contributions of Black and Brown People (Black Poppy)
Explore stories of Noor Inayat Khan, Walter Tull, and Ulric Cross.
Discuss how people from different cultures worked together for freedom.
Write biographies and create silhouette art to celebrate their courage and legacy. -
Year 6 – Stories of Service and Sacrifice (White Poppy)
Research local memorials and explore the meaning of peace in modern times.
Create digital remembrance books with poetry, photos, and reflections.
Lead the school’s remembrance assembly, guiding younger pupils through reflection and gratitude.
Cross-Curricular Connections
Remembrance is woven through the curriculum to make learning meaningful and memorable:
-
English: poetry, letter writing, and diary entries inspired by real lives.
-
History: chronology, cause and consequence, and global perspectives.
-
Art & Design: symbolic artwork and sculpture to represent memory and unity.
-
Music: singing wartime songs and composing reflective soundscapes.
-
Computing: digital posters, films, and eBooks of remembrance.
-
PSHE & RE: discussions about peace, community, kindness, and gratitude.
Whole-School Reflection
During Remembrance Week, pupils take part in assemblies, creative workshops, and reflection circles.
At 11am on 11 November, the whole school gathers for a two-minute silence followed by a corridor Remembrance Gallery Walk — showcasing poetry, art, and digital reflections from every class.
Why It Matters
Our Remembrance Project embodies one of Nightingale’s central aims — to strengthen community and civic responsibility.
Through this shared act of remembrance, pupils learn that courage takes many forms and that unity, respect, and empathy are timeless values.
By reflecting on stories from across the world, they recognise that remembrance belongs to everyone — and that by remembering together, we build a more peaceful future.
Remembrance Ceremony 2022/23
