Strategic Aim 1: Curriculum, Learner Journey & Developing the Young workforce
Strategic Aim 2: Information, Digital Literacy & Digital Creativity
Strategic Aim 3: Literacy, Numeracy & Family Learning
Strategic Aim 4: Health and Wellbeing:
Strategic Aim 5: Leadership, Standards & Working Models
Collaborative project with Harlaw Academy, Cults Academy and the Holocaust Educational Trust.
Erika’s Suitcase was a project which focused on a child named Erika Schulhof rescued from Austria just before the outbreak of World War One. She was relocated to Aberdeen as part of the Kindertransport rescue effort.
The project involved pupils at both Harlaw Academy and Cults Academy in Aberdeen learning about Erika's experiences and linking them to those of present-day refugees.
The project included creative poetry and writing sessions, art lessons, talks from Kindertransport survivors and present-day refugees, and a reading list featuring refugee-inspired books. The schools worked in partnership with the Holocaust Educational Trust throughout the duration of the project.
An end of term exhibition took place at Aberdeen Arts Centre featuring pupils' art work, posters and book reviews inspired by Erika's story.
Staff at Cults Academy and Harlaw Academy also worked closely with the Holocaust Education Trust to run Continuing Personal Development training events for staff on the real story of the Kindertransport and how to teach it.
Erika’s Suitcase helped pupils to reflect on the Kindertransport relief effort at the beginning of WW1 and relate this to the present-day experiences of refugees.
This has embedded Holocaust education and learning within both schools and pupils have become more welcoming to refugees.
It has created stronger links between school library services and departments within both schools, including Religious and Moral Education, Art, and Social subjects.
Extra sets of books have been donated to the Curriculum Resources Information Centre in Aberdeen to allow schools throughout the area to access the same reading material.
This has led to teaching staff throughout Aberdeen becoming more confident teaching pupils about the Holocaust.
