Hurstmere School in Sidcup held a very special celebration event in July, marking 75 years of it's rich history.
Pupils led the whole event for a very special audience of parents, staff, senior leaders and members of the The Howard Academy Trust, which Hurstmere will be officially joining in September. Not only did they explain the auspicious Through Our Eyes Heritage Project, they introduced the legacy films they had created about the rich history of Hurstmere School since 1949.
The evening included pupils interviewing alumni on stage and fantastic music from Studio-Fix, including the original song created by the pupils which you can listen to here:
Guest speakers included Aardman Animations and Walt Disney storyboard artist, Jay Clarke, who had also given a dedicated workshop for pupils earlier in the day.
Also, Mark Reid spoke. Former Head of Education with the British Film Institute, now a senior lecturer for UCL said:
When the students interviewed past pupils, they were actually interviewing children. They were asking people to remember about themselves; to imagine and remember what it was like for them as children. So they were making connections between being a child in 2024, to being a child in 1983 or being a child in 1965 and creating a continuous timeline of experience, which is I don't think we have enough of in education. This is not just a technological project, it's something which is bringing people together, bringing histories together, bringing history to life, and I hope enabling everybody to reflect on other peoples' experiences. I think that's the crowning attribute and crowning outcome of this exceptional heritage project.
As part of this commission, end2end TV were asked to produce a second film about Hurstmere's history with the pupils. This was a deep dive into more archive footage and interviews with new alumni, as well as staff.
The whole project was a real joy and the essense of Hurstmere's history was evident to see - through the stories collected and the warm and generous energy of those who participated. It really was an exceptional way to celebrate Hurstmere's 75th Jubilee through the eyes of young people themselves and an honour to be trusted to manage this unique event. A wonderful way to mark an important point in history.
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