As part of the annual History-English Trip, Year 9 visited Beamish and put themselves into the shoes of women that fought for their right to vote (suffrage) in the early 20th century. Students worked incredibly hard in their lessons leading up to the trip, exploring the perspectives of their assigned characters, investigating the time period in which they lived and crafting persuasive speeches to deliver in a class debate.
During their visit students took part in a Women’s Suffrage Rally down Beamish High Street: dressed in their roles, carrying banners and chanting their decided mottos. They then read their own speeches in the bandstand and took part in a debate as ‘Suffragists’ (peaceful female campaigners), ‘Suffragettes’ (militant female campaigners) and those against female suffrage in 1913 (‘Antis’).
All class teachers were very proud of their enthusiasm and the curiosity Year 9 exhibited while exploring Beamish’s 1913 Town and Mining Village. They were keen to ask questions to further develop their historical knowledge of the time. Students were also excited to explore other areas at Beamish, including the new 1950s Town, 1820s Pockerley Manor and, of course, the 1913 sweetshop and fairground!
Summa Crawford, from 9R, says that ‘The best part for me was when we got dressed up into our old-fashioned outfits’. Whereas Paige Knight, from 9H, said ‘I am so happy that I had the opportunity to be a suffragist and read out my speech at Beamish. It was fun going back in time and I really enjoyed dressing up and rallying!’
Niya Binu, also from 9H, said ‘Beamish was the best trip I’ve been on! The highlight was seeing a 1913 school and comparing it to our school now and, of course, our protest rally/march. It was a great experience and really helped us understand what it was like for women back then, before they got the vote. I also loved exploring the houses they used to live in and learning how they washed their clothes.’
Well done Year 9!
