Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the Oral History project will start in October with a launch event at the school.

Supported through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the project will enable local young people and a History teacher to be trained in the recording of former students and staff memories, experiences and opinions. With the research material, the students will create a documentary film and share it with former and current students, staff and the community through a school and local event comprising a photographic exhibition and the launch and sharing of the recordings on a project website. The Oral History project will enable us to reflect on the school’s journey, cultural heritage and the contribution it has made to the local community over the past 50 years, providing a source of new insights and perspectives whilst promoting inter-generational collaboration. All participants will be “making history” and learning the disciplines of Oral History. This in turn will record our history for future generations.

The project will give students a unique opportunity to record real history face-to-face. They will produce innovative recordings on the life of the school as a vehicle for inter-generational communication through cataloguing people’s memories and experiences for future generations.

Commenting on the award, Mrs P.Dixon, Headteacher said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players. The project will keep the memory of Upton alive at the perfect time to empower our students to engage with their heritage."

The benefits to the community is the inter-generational collaboration generated by the project and that as their stories are recorded and shared, their memories will be preserved.

If you have memories or photographs you would like to share, we would like to hear from you either at admin@uptonhigh.co.uk or on 01244981240.