Charters Remembers

On the first day after returning from the half term break our thoughts turned to Remembrance Day, which takes place annually on 11 November.

This day is an opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those who have defended our freedoms, and our staff and 1,717 students came together as one, for our annual Remembrance Service.

Congregating in Tutor groups around the astro-turf, we shared a moment of quiet reflection as teachers, students and support staff took part in a moving service.

The service began when the 'Stand to' was sounded. This was followed by a beautiful reading from Laurence Binyon's poem, 'For The Fallen', which was read by Year 13 student, Lois.

At the sounding of the Last Post, each and every member of our school community fell silent and showed great respect throughout the two minutes' silence, where the only sound was that of birdsong.

A wreath was then laid by Arun and Diba, before Henry read 'In Flanders Field', the poem which was written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.

The 'Reveille' was then played to bring the service to an end.

The wreath of poppies was later transferred to the foot the English oak tree, which was presented to the school by Hillier Garden Centre to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War in 2018. The wreath will stay in position for the next week so that students can pay their individual respects.

Our thanks to the Year 13 Head Students who led the service, and Year 10 student Mia who played the trumpet so beautifully throughout. We would also like to thank the students who are part of the Army Cadet Forces that took part in the parade.

During the break our Site Team installed a mural in our Main Hall to act as a year-round reminder of Armistice Day. Below this, starting with Year 8, the students have been given the reigns to create a beautiful poppy project, where each student is given the task the create their own individual poppy.

The Poppies have been collected and are now displayed in Tutor groups to form a permanent display in the Main Hall for future year groups and visitors to see. The students wrote their own custom message on the back of each poppy as a mark of respect.