VE Day Celebrations at The Spires School

Children and staff at The Spires School, Salisbury, celebrated the 75th anniversary of VE Day, on the 7th May, with a ‘street party’ in the school playground (with appropriate social distancing!).

The staff and children enjoyed a barbecue and triangular sandwiches with the crusts cut off, popcorn, and homemade cakes with fresh cream and strawberries, accompanied by music from the 1940’s. The children decorated the area, making paper chains and bunting.

Head teacher, Louise Bethel, said “It was a lovely afternoon which gave us the opportunity to do some outdoor learning about VE Day, and answer questions that the children had. The pupils all went home feeling how special the day was 75 years ago and were more empathetic about what people went through and the sacrifices they made”.

The children were interested to discover the importance of women and the important role they played during the war.

“Once it is safe to do so, we are going to take the children to the spitfire museum in Southampton. Mainly unqualified young girls and women along with elderly men, young boys and a handful of engineers worked in secret factories to build thousands of Spitfires during the war all around our local area including Salisbury.”

The Spires, which is run by a social enterprise, Five Rivers Child Care, provides a specialist school environment for vulnerable children across Wiltshire and surrounding areas. The school is for children who find it too difficult to manage in mainstream education. It provides support for schools and families with children attending on a part-time, or full-time basis.