This week, Year 6 went to visit Valence House as part of our history topic World War Two.
The children very much enjoyed learning all about the local history.
They learnt about how Barking and Dagenham was affected by the war and particularly how in 1939, the children of Monteagle were evacuated to safer areas in the countryside and quieter villages in England. The children took part in three sessions.
One focused on the areas of Dagenham which were damaged during the Blitz as well as how to prepare for a gas attack
One focused on how children were evacuated and adopted by different families and the preferential treatment some children got which lead some children not being adopted.
The final session was around life in dagenham during the war which looked at what a typical house in Becontree would look like, as well as some famous people from Dagenham and East London who were prominent figures around the war
The children thoroughly enjoyed the trip and hearing all the wartime stories from the members of staff there!
