An event to bring together students who have been working on Wolsey themed projects to improve their confidence and communication skills came together this week in a grand finale at St Peter’s by the Waterfront.
Over the past six months, students at primary and secondary schools across Ipswich have been taking part in activities coordinated by the Thomas Wolsey 550 Project through support from Suffolk County Council.
Primary school pupils have taken part in activities ranging from creating a mural celebrating their values, to devising guided trails round Wolsey’s Ipswich.
Secondary school students have been brushing up their knowledge of Cardinal Wolsey’s role in international history and the impact he could have had on Ipswich, as well as taking part in sessions with over a dozen different employers in Ipswich to learn more about the wealth of careers on offer in the town.
These activities came together in a showcase event at St Peter’s in front of an invited audience of dignitaries from businesses and local councils. St Peter’s is a fitting venue for such an event as it was once the chapel for the ill-fated ‘Cardinal College’, which Wolsey established in Ipswich.
In the morning, groups of primary school students took to the stage to present their projects to the audience of guests and fellow students and teachers. Everyone listened intently as students, some as young as six years old, talked about their projects. These included writing creative stories about Wolsey’s childhood, and Wolsey-themed town trails which included one with a QR code to access additional information, and another with stickers for those who cracked a hidden code in clues. One project was even an immersive soundscape.
In the afternoon, it was a chance for secondary school students to take to the stage. Under the watchful eye of a ‘judge’, played by lay magistrate Malcom Hogarth JP, the students were given just 15 minutes to prepare to prosecute or defend Cardinal Wolsey against three different charges. They had no prior knowledge of these charges so they had to use their knowledge of Wolsey to prepare their case.
The students were supported in this task by local historians Mike Garland and Caleb Howgego and a group of trainee and newly qualified young legal advisers from local law firms Birketts LLP and Ellisons Solicitors, who also formed the jury. Each group was invited to a mock court room, created on a stage, for their cases to be heard before the jury gave their verdict.
Commenting on the day, Wolsey 550 Project Director Kath Cockshaw said: “I think Cardinal Wolsey would have been very impressed with the amount of preparation students and teachers have put into learning about Wolsey and completing their various projects. Standing on a stage in front of more than 100 people is daunting enough for an adult, but the pupils all handled it with poise and determination. Wolsey also believed learning worked best when it was fun and, judging by their faces as they left, I think it was also an enjoyable day full of happy memories – so we all did the Cardinal proud.”
As well as the presentations, 15 slightly older students from Northgate High School were invited to help run the day to learn new skills. Five worked with young photographer Isiah Jordan to document the day. Five worked with young broadcaster Harvey Bell to learn about recording audio documentaries and podcasts, and five worked with event organisers to gain experience of running an event of this scale.
Organiser Hannah Houghton from the Wolsey 550 project said: “As well as improving confidence and communication, we’re all about using Wolsey’s story to improve the aspirations of young people and to give them a sense of pride and ownership of their hometown. My feedback from teachers and students suggests the event has contributed a great deal to those objectives.”
Local education expert Dale Banham worked with the Wolsey 550 project to ensure that the educational elements fitted closely with the and most recent Ofsted guidance for teaching history and to support teachers with resources on the subject of Wolsey and Tudor Ipswich.
The schools taking part were:
- Broke Hall Primary School
- Castle Hill Infant and Junior Schools
- Morland C of E Primary School
- Ranelagh Primary School
- Sidegate Primary School
- St Margaret’s CEVA Primary School
- St Mark’s Primary School
- Stone Lodge Academy
The secondary schools taking part were:
- Chantry Academy
- Northgate High School
- St Alban’s Catholic High School
- St Joseph’s College
- Stoke High School- Ormiston Academy
The Thomas Wolsey 550 Project was set up by Ipswich Central with support from founding partners in 2023. Initially funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project was awarded a community grant from Suffolk County Council’s £2 million Ipswich Investment fund to continue the education work of the Thomas Wolsey 550 project for academic year 2024-25, after the lottery support came to an end in 2024.
