Alderwasley Hall School have been preparing for the centenary of the end of WW1 by putting together a range of memorial activities for students to take part in throughout the week. Students and staff were invited to The QUAD Cinema in Derby for a private autistic friendly screening of ‘Journeys End’. The film is an adaptation of the play by R.C Sherriff, of which some students have studied in English classes. Set in the trenches during WW1 and is based on the experiences that R.C Sherriff experienced as a soldier fighting in France during WW1.

The film gave students and staff, not only an artistic impression of what life was like in the trenches during WW1, but the reality of waiting, the stillness and how quiet the environment was, rationing and friendships made and lost whilst fighting on the front line.
Students successfully travelled and watched the film together, across KS3, KS4 and KS5. This was a huge achievement for the students; experiencing a new environment with lots of new people and accessing a historic topic that has raised lots of questions and thinking points in continuation of the WW1 Centenary celebrations throughout school.