Alleyn’s pupils have been busy learning about WW1 and commemorating all those who took part in the war. Some activities listed here run year on year, while others were designed especially for the centenary commemoration.

The study of the war is a key topic for Year Nine students in particular and their work on WW1 takes place across a wide range of subjects including English, Art and History.

Students spend a term focusing on the poetry of WW1 in English, analysing the work of famous anti-war poets such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. This study leads to the production of a final project on the subject which combines essays, original research and analysis to showcase their thoughts and feelings about the war and remembrance. A selection of these projects are available to view under the 'Year Nine English' link to the left.

In Art, students have recently constructed a tree, 2 1/2 meters tall, that lists the names of 200 Alleyn's pupils who fought in the war. Such work allows students to actively take part in commemorating the fallen and this unique and ambitious project can be viewed by clicking the 'Year 9 Art' link to the left.

Alleyn's students have also enjoyed the opportunity to work with original WW1 sources in History lessons and have made use of War Service Records to research former Alleyn's pupils that signed up to the war effort. This work has provided invaluable experience for students learning to use primary sources as well as forming the basis for the biographies that are included elsewhere on the site.

Outside of the classroom, Alleyn's students have been learning about the First World War and taking part in commemoration through their extra curricular activities. In 2014, a number of Alleyn's pupils took part in the Never Such Innocence Competition which saw students submit original artwork and poetry focused on the First World War to commemorate the centenary. Alleyn's pupils were commended for the high quality work they produced and a selection of the art and poetry submitted by students can be viewed by clicking the 'Never Such Innocence Competition' link to the left. Research on WW1 and remembrance has also been undertaken in other extracurricular activities including the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme where the use of original documents by one student saw new findings emerge surrounding the school's history and CCF. More information on the research carried out can be viewed by clicking the 'Duke of Edinburgh' link.