Perhaps this year more than most, memories of all those who fought in the First World War have been uppermost in our minds as we commemorated those who gave their lives, one hundred years after the outbreak of hostilities.

As part of our Year 9 curriculum, we have been studying the Michael Morpurgo text ‘War Horse’ and a number of lucky students were able to enjoy a fabulous couple of days in London where, after a bite to eat at Pizza Express, they watched the world famous, National Theatre stage production at the New London Theatre in the heart of the West End. ‘War Horse’ is characterised by the amazing, life-sized puppets that bring the show to life and, like thousands of theatre goers before them, everyone was captivated by the spectacle.

After a late night and a hearty breakfast the next morning, students joined in a theatre workshop led by one of the actors from the production, the highlight of which was a talk with Gareth Aled, who plays Joey’s head in the show. Gareth shared some of the secrets of how the horses are brought to life and also explained how physical the show is; the head alone weighs over two stones and he has to hold it aloft for about ninety minutes. After lunch, students enjoyed a whistle stop tour of some of London’s most iconic sights such as: Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Trafalgar Square and the London Eye before arriving home happy and tired after a long journey.