CWGC In and Out of the Classroom

As teachers return to the classroom and youth groups start up again for the new year, we thought it was the perfect time to explore the resources and support we have available.

Sarah Nathaniel, the CWGC Education Officer, explores the exciting resources we have on offer.

Education forms a vital part of our ongoing commitment to sharing the stories of the 1.7 million casualties we commemorate from both world wars. 

As we move further away from the living memory of those conflicts, this promise becomes even more important. How best to keep those stories alive? How do we try to learn the lessons of history and deliver a message of the devastating consequences of war on families and communities?

The King, George V, was fully aware of this message as far back as 1922 when he visited the battlefields to see the new cemeteries of the Imperial War Graves Commission:

‘I have many times asked myself whether there can be more potent advocates of peace upon the Earth through the years to come, than this massed multitude of silent witnesses to the desolation of war’.

Our work with young people and their teachers aims to continue to deliver this legacy of the consequences of war. Please do explore what we have to offer.

Teaching Resources

We have an ever-expanding range of free, high-quality resources for all ages and stages designed for use both inside and outside the classroom, whether this an assembly, pastoral session, a local history project or a battlefield or cemetery visit. 

World War Resources for Learning: Guides and Research

Downloadable schemes of work and lesson plans can be found here and cover an extensive range of topics such as medicine on the Western Front, the diversity of casualties we commemorate, alongside resources designed to explore the role of women in the Second World War, poetry of the First World War and resources specific to some of our iconic sites, such as the Menin Gate.

Remembrance

Many schools first contact with us may be around the Remembrance period and we also offer a wide range of resources for this important event which can be used for assemblies or pastoral sessions. As with all our resources, we encourage exploration of the diversity of those we commemorate.

Duke of Edinburgh

A new resource available for schools and youth groups gives young people the opportunity to carry out a military history research project in order to complete their DofE Skills section, whilst learning about our organisation. The activity log and guidance is designed to enable self-guided exploration and completion of the section and has proved very popular. It includes the opportunity for individuals to upload their research to our stories portal For Evermore, ensuring that the work they have done can be seen by anyone accessing our site worldwide.

Whilst, currently, these resources are mostly designed for UK classrooms, our education team operates across the globe.

Site visit resources

Information and activity sheets exist for over 70 cemeteries across 22 countries. These include familiar sites across France and Belgium, but also much further afield. From Bangladesh, Kenya, Thailand, India, Italy to Poland, South Africa, the Netherlands and Egypt, these guides cover the global reach and diversity of casualties we commemorate and allow visitors to immerse themselves in the history of each site.

School and Site Visits

As well as a range of downloadable resources, our Public Engagement team offers support for teachers and schools across the globe. In the UK we have a team of Co-ordinators who regularly work with schools delivering local history projects, research workshops, talks, assemblies and cemetery visits. The team are very flexible and can adapt activities to suit your school’s needs.

We also regularly work with youth groups: Scouts, Guides, Combined Cadet Force and other Cadet groups.

Across the globe in France, Belgium, Italy and Kenya we have teams ready to support your school in their exploration of our work and the stories we share.

An exciting new opportunity is for the young people you work with to contribute to our ongoing promise to share the stories of our casualties by uploading their research to our For Evermore stories portal. Once there, this work can be seen and accessed by users worldwide.

For more information on this site and how to use it, please visit:

For Evermore: Stories of the Fallen

New CWGC Education Resources mailing list – sign up now!

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is launching a brand-new Education Resources Mailing List, designed to keep teachers, youth leaders, and educators up to date with our latest projects, case studies, classroom resources, and opportunities for schools and youth groups.

Whether you're looking to enrich your teaching around remembrance, explore stories of those who served, or simply stay informed about what CWGC offers to young people, this is the perfect way to stay connected.

Sign up to our Education Mailing list

The first e-newsletter will land later this year, just in time for Remembrance.

Please feel free to share the link with colleagues and friends in education – we would love to welcome them to the CWGC learning community.

If you would like to contact us about working with you or for any enquiries, please email: education@cwgc.org