At the beginning of this term, three Year 12 students from Leventhorpe were invited to take part in the Lessons from Auschwitz Project, organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust.

The programme included a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp, and provided students with an opportunity to learn more about the Holocaust and its significance today.

Before the visit, students attended an orientation seminar where they heard first-hand testimony from a Holocaust survivor and discussed the importance and challenges of visiting a Holocaust-related site.

On Wednesday, 14th October, students travelled to Poland for the one-day visit. Guided by both a local historian and a trained educator, they toured Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau, viewing authentic sites and museum exhibits while taking part in discussions that encouraged reflection on the human consequences of prejudice, discrimination and hatred.

The experience was both educational and deeply moving, helping students to develop a greater understanding of the Holocaust and its enduring relevance in today's world.

Reflection from George Collins:

After visiting Auschwitz, what stayed with me most was seeing the rows of preserved barracks and the endless piles of personal belongings left behind. I wanted to visit in person because studying the Holocaust in a classroom only gives you part of the picture. Standing there made me realise that every victim was a real person, not just a statistic. It was an important journey that helped me to better understand what happened and to pay my respects to those who suffered and lost their lives.

Reflection from Ellie White:

I felt it was important to visit Auschwitz because it opens your eyes to the reality of what millions of people faced during the Holocaust. It highlights the importance of remembering what happened and understanding the significance of these events.

We began the day at Auschwitz I, where we saw one of the first gas chambers, as well as the accommodation blocks and labour areas used by Jewish people and other prisoners. What stayed with me was learning how the Nazis attempted to destroy the gas chambers in an effort to hide their crimes.

We also learned about individual victims and families, discovering where they lived, worked, and, in many cases, how they lost their lives. Hearing these personal stories helped me understand that the Holocaust was not just a historical event, but the experience of millions of real people.