We returned to the Schools History Project Teacher’s Conference in Leeds this month after a seven year break away. Covid happened, we got very busy, then this year, things are much quieter, as English Heritage have cut back massively on performer led events. We’d been three or four times previously and always enjoyed it. The first time we’d attended was back in the mid 2000s, when we’d first met Ian Dawson, who sadly wasn’t there this year.

The SHP conference is held at the Leeds Trinity University Campus in Horsforth every July. This year, it was held on Friday 11th to Sunday 13th July. There were 40 workshops available to attend with the aim to help teacher’s find new and engaging ways to teach students. Examining boards are there to chat to, as well as publishers like Hachette, who sponsor the event and Pearson. Then there’s other people like us, who are there to help enrich your teaching experience.

We often attend some of the lectures and keynote speeches, because there’s a lot of downtime for us whilst teachers are in workshops. We take it in turns to attend. My favourite talk was the keynote lecture given on Saturday by Wajid Yaseen. I was fortunate to have him sit at my table for lunch, which is what got me engaged enough to attend. Wajid was one of the keynote speakers and the talk was in the auditorium. His lecture was called ‘Tape Letters‘ and was about his journey in uncovering cassette tapes from the 1960s to 1980s which the Punjabi speaking Pakistani community had recorded and sent to loved ones in Pakistan. It’s the story of migration recorded on tape. The cost of a phone call back then was extremely prohibitive, and I believe he said was the equivalent of £34 a minute now! Tapes were relatively cheap, and thus taped letters were sent back and forth between loved ones. The equivalent of sending a voice note now. In a way, it was a sort of strange boon that phone calls were so dear, otherwise, these conversations and the history they record would have been lost forever. The tapes were an undiscovered treasure trove of information about migration and life for the Pakistani community during this time. The audio letters covered every topic from love to Partition and everything in between. The project has been a massive undertaking. Translating and indexing them took an immense amount of work, but now Wajid has run several exhibitions. There is an online digital exhibition that you can visit anytime to wander through the e-gallery and listen to these voices speaking from the past about their joys, frustrations and heartaches. It’s taught to students in schools. It’s also available on the app store and as a podcast. Check it out. It was fascinating and reminded me of cassette letters I’d sent myself to distant relatives and long forgotten about. I wonder if they still exist somewhere.

We also had the pleasure of meeting Andrew from Rogue Artist Creations, who provide escape rooms linked to historical eras, to play at home or in the classroom. So your students can save Queen Elizabeth from conspiracy, uncover a lost Pharaoh’s tomb, escape from Colditz Castle during World War II, amongst many others. They also provide curriculum enrichment resources. Andrew has also designed his own historical themed card game. Wel and I had a game with Andrew while we waited, along with Dicky from Zeitgeist. whom we’d met the last time we’d attended, back in 2018. It was a hilarious game where you can boost your character with quirky traits and experiences, or hand negative ones to sabotage your opponents character. The winner being the person with most points at the end. I won, but only I think as the guys were going easy on me. Every school library should have a copy for school board game clubs. It was historical, fun and easy to learn. We bought two copies because we loved it so much. One for us and one for our Godsons.

Saturday night was a great excuse to chill with the teachers in the university bar. We attended the evening lecture first in the auditorium. There was poetry reading and suggestions for ways to teach various emotive subjects in ways that would draw the students into the history and help them understand it more easily. We then spent the rest of the evening chilling and chatting with a couple of teachers we met there. It seems to me that one of the things that teachers love most about the event is the chance to connect and speak with other teachers, exchange ideas, empathise and perhaps find new ways of doing things.

We also spent a great deal of time chatting with the other stall holders there, Zeitgeist, Anglia tours, The Historical Association, BBC Bitesize, Pearson, to name a few. Another year done, lots of teachers spoken to, booklets and posters distributed. It’s a great and well organised event, with lots of free resources for teachers. Teachers come from all over the UK to take part and we highly recommend you to attend next year. Hopefully, we’ll see you there.