Wessex Archaeology partnered with Salisbury Plain Academies Trust to deliver a multifaceted project combining learning opportunities and physical installations at their new-build school, St Michael’s.
School Sessions
As part of this partnership, Wessex Archaeology offered the school free sessions utilising archaeology as a stimulus for exciting science, literacy and history learning. The wealth of archaeology found on the site and its location at Larkhill provided the school with a large quantity of locally relevant content for their topic studies of the Stone Age and Iron Age, The Great War, The Romans, Rivers and Settlements.
Museums Club
Wessex Archaeology facilitated a pupil curated museum in cases installed in a dedicated museum area in the school. This area also contains temporary displays of artefacts from the site.
Window Etchings
Large vinyl stickers were applied to school windows overlooking areas of archaeological interest on the site, giving the appearance of etchings. Pupils can look through these etchings to see where the archaeology took place.
A particularly interesting piece of art created with the school’s blessing featured a reconstruction of a burial of three Bronze Age children, found in an area which is the current school’s car park. This beautiful image, symbolizing family love and care, is etched on the windows of the school’s reflection and quiet room.
The food and cooking room is illustrated with articles of food and equipment found in the Great War practice trenches on site.
