Pupils in Years 9 – 11 had the fantastic opportunity to visit the capital of Germany, Berlin. This trip was designed to enhance pupils understanding of both the Germany and the Cold War aspects of their History GCSE. 

The trip began with a visit to the Reichstag building, burnt to the ground in 1933 which gave Hitler the ability to secure his dictatorship in Germany, followed by a visit to the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe and the site of the Fuhrer bunker. 

On day 2, pupils visited the Berlin Wall and East – Side gallery in the morning and the house of the Wannsee conference in the afternoon. Here the Nazis took a little over an hour to decide on the fate of the Jewish population in Europe known as the Final Solution. In the evening, pupils visited the Mall of Berlin for shopping and food.

The final day saw an emotional visit to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp where the Nazis murdered opponents and undesirables indiscriminately. Pupils were clearly moved to visit the site of such horrors. Upon our return from Sachsenhausen pupils visited Checkpoint Charlie and the attached museum.

Overall, a fabulous trip, thoroughly enjoyed by pupils and staff alike with many experiences that will last a lifetime and be of massive benefit to all pupils in attendance for their GCSEs

Mr L Mackin
Head of Humanities