Supporting GCSE Historians: Our First Visit to Saltaire
On the 1st July, the History Department has organised its first visit to Saltaire, near Bradford, to support Year 10 students studying the Eduqas GCSE History course, specifically the Health and Medicine in Britain thematic study.
Saltaire is a model village built in the 1850s by Sir Titus Salt, a wealthy industrialist. It provides an excellent real life case study of 19th century public health improvements, linking directly to the section of the course that covers the challenges of industrialisation and the response to poor living conditions. Rather than reading about public health reforms in abstract terms, students will be able to see first-hand how an industrial employer tackled the problems of overcrowding, poor sanitation, and disease.
The visit has been designed to strengthen students’ understanding of key topics such as:
- The living conditions in industrial towns.
- The impact of reformers and philanthropists in improving public health.
- How attitudes towards public health shifted during the 19th century.
Walking through Saltaire, students will examine the workers’ housing, the wash-houses, the school, and Salt’s Mill itself. These examples will help them to link specific features of the village to the wider social and legislative changes they are studying, including the 1848 and 1875 Public Health Acts.
We are looking forward to seeing the impact of this trip on students’ confidence and progress as they move through their GCSE course.
Mr Herbert
Associate Assistant Headteacher and Curriculum Leader for History
