PUPILS from York schools have presented their projects on the First World War at the House of Lords.

Angus Gatus, 15, of Millthorpe School in South Bank and Luke Franks, 15, of York High School in Acomb, worked in collaboration with other students from the York Independent State School Partnership (ISSP) and schools around the city.

They put together an exhibition entitled “1916; It’s more than just The Somme” at the city’s Castle Museum.

The pupils showed their project at a reception at the House of Lords last week, and were among a handful of schools invited to take part.

Angus said: “My particular strengths were the historical events of the naval Battle of Jutland.

“I concentrated and used my artistic skills to design, from the ships’ plans, some of the battleships of Britain and Germany that were present at the battle.

“They were all hand drawn and made and feature a brief account of the factual information for each ship.

“I am proud and honoured to be part of this project and I hope the visitors enjoy the exhibit.”

Pupils and teachers from 4,000 secondary schools in England are being sent to the Western Front each year as part of a four-day education programme and battlefield tour run by the UCL Institute of Education (IOE) and tour operator Equity.

On their return to school, students create a Legacy 110 project, sharing their experiences of visiting the battlefield sites of the Western Front with their local communities and creating a lasting legacy for the First World War Centenary.

These projects could include a study of local soldier, the role played by women, the contribution of Commonwealth forces, or even the impact upon sports such as football and rugby.

Professor Stuart Foster, executive director of the programme at the IOE, said: “They have worked incredibly hard to produce some outstanding Legacy 110 projects and these are already having a real impact on their local communities and even beyond.

“We want all students who come on one of our battlefield tours to create an enduring legacy by setting up their own First World War Centenary commemorative projects.”

Each project is showcased on the Legacy 110 National Map at centenarybattlefieldtours.org There are 11 schools in the ISSP: All Saints’ RC, Archbishop Holgate’s, Bootham, Canon Lee, Huntington, Joseph Rowntree, Manor, Millthorpe, The Mount, St Peter’s, York High.