WW2 shelter could become immersive teaching space

A head teacher says an air raid shelter discovered in the garden of his school could be used as a unique teaching space once it is made safe.

The World War Two shelter, discovered earlier this year at St Peter's School in Kettering, Northamptonshire, is thought to have been built for railway workers.

It has enough space to hold 100 people.

Mark Thomas said he hoped the shelter would inspire children learning about the war.

The shelter was discovered by teacher Nigel Burgham during a PTA Groundforce day, when staff and volunteers were tidying up the grounds.

Mr Burgham said: "I came down to the garden area to clear away some things, climbed through, saw a bit of the entrance and it was amazing to find this."

The shelter had disappeared off existing maps of the school, but it was clear from some of the graffiti that people had found their way in in recent years.

The school has been working with Sywell Aviation Museum to find out more about the shelter.

They have also involved Subterranae Britannica, a society dedicated to exploring man-made underground installations, as it had helped other schools make spaces safe so children could explore them.

Mr Thomas added that the shelter could become an immersive learning experience for children, "maybe taking themselves back to World War Two and imagining, when they're doing their diary extracts, what it would have been like down there".

Henry, 10, said: "When the bomb shelter was discovered, we were just learning about World War Two, so I think it was good to have something to base our topic on. "

Alice, 11, said she hoped "we can go down without worrying about it collapsing on us."

Persephone, 10, said she had been thinking about the sort of people who might have gone into the shelter - and pupil Maisy, also 10, was delighted to have "something from the past at our school which I think is really cool."

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