As part of their learning about World War One, Year Eight History students at Cheney had a very special opportunity to engage with the real lives of soldiers in the British Army through original and replica artefacts in their lesson this week.
Mr Gimson brought in copies of very moving letters, written by his great grandfather, Alexander Ogilvie, to his very young daughter, Peggy, between 1915 and 1918. The letters reveal many details about daily life in the War, ranging from the noise of the guns and the cold which soldiers had to endure, to how evenings might be spent, and even including sketches of the officers’ huts and their surroundings.
On Friday 10th March, 61 Cheney School students from Year 11 spent the day in the Museum of the History of Science, exploring the development of penicillin. The day, which had been specially designed by the MHS education officers, was called "Back from the Dead", a title which referenced both how the discovery of antibiotics brought people back from the brink of death, but also, how bacteria are now making a worrying comeback, with the rise of drug resistant superbugs.
On Thursday 9th February, six students made history when they became the first ever students to view a collection of beautiful manuscripts from a collection owned by Merton College.
We are very fortunate to have welcomed Dr Dirk Obbink, specialist in Papyrology from the University of Oxford, to deliver workshops in the past few weeks to Year 8 Latinists and Year 12 Classical Civilisation students. 
