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Live Archaeology! Arundel C of E School

Children at ACE visit a live archaeological site Children from our Year 6 class were given a glimpse into the rich history of our local area after American archaeologists allowed our school to visit a live archaeological dig happening just around the corner from our school. We were the first school to have this opportunity and it was a very special moment. Mark Philips, a local historian (and Sussex Local contributor) was one of three Arundel residents, along with James Seller and Mark Khan, who were responsible for the research that resulted in the American team coming to the UK to carry out an archaeological excavation in an attempt to recover the remains of American war heroes from WW2. Mark explained to the children that the plane was an American fourengine bomber known as a B24 Consolidated Liberator that crashed in mid-June 1944 following a mission over France just a couple of weeks after the D Day landings. After being severely damaged by German anti-aircraft guns, the pilot and co-pilot just about managed to fly the plane back to the UK. As soon as it crossed the coast between Bognor and Climping, 7 of the 10-man crew were ordered to parachute out. Remains of the engineer were recovered at the time of the crash but the pilot and co-pilot have been listed as missing in action all these years. The key objective of this project was to try and find remains of these brave men and return them to the USA for a military burial. It is hoped that the team have managed to achieve this, but it will be at least a couple of years before this can be confirmed as the identification and DNA tests take a long time to process. The pupils were able to literally take history into their own hands, as they were given the chance to hold many of the artefacts, including a machine gun, bullets, and a steering cord. The children took part in several activities and learnt about what materials survive in the ground for archaeologists to find. The children also engaged with the archaeologists and many of them asked questions about pursuing archaeology as a career and the work that they do. Thank you to the children for showing such an interest in the trip and being a delight to take out for the day.

Charlie and FEAST return to ACE We are very fortunate to have strong links with our church St Nicholas’, and as part of this we work closely with Charlie Smiles, the treasurer of the charity FEAST (For Education and Social Transformation) –an aid project in Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Charlie came into school recently to talk to the children about the importance of charity and why it is so vital to help others. Charlie also spoke to the children about the importance of responsibility, and as part of this the children in Year 6 will have the opportunity to interview for a position as a FEAST Ambassador, which will involve working on ways to raise funds for the charity. Phoenix Class visits the Herrington’s Field Community Orchard Our Year 4 children recently had the wonderful opportunity of visiting Herrington’s Field Community Orchard. Nell Paton organised an afternoon full of forest school activities, including apple printing, pond dipping and much more. The children were polite, keen and a pleasure to take out. Nell reminded the children that the orchard is there for everyone to visit. www.arundelchurchofenglandschool.org.uk

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