History of the Cabinet War Rooms

Dunkirk Evacuation

Key Stage 4

A visit to Churchill War Rooms can support programmes of study in History, Art, English, Literacy and Citizenship and includes handling and interpreting original artefacts as well as using documents, photographs, posters, paintings and film.

Find out about the role played by this unique historic site, the iconic Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and discover more about life and conditions on the home front during the Second World War. 

Choose from this list or browse through the images above to see the sessions available

The Big Three

60 minutes

Evaluate the relationship between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. Work with written sources to identify key moments, assess the balance of power and uncover the rationale behind decisions of the Grand Alliance between 1939 and 1945.

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Churchill's Life and Work - Source Investigation

90 minutes

Develop the skills to access and analyse written sources. Sessions are available for students on the OCR Churchill 1920-1945 course on topics including India, the Abdication and the General Strike.

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Churchill Museum Investigation

90 minutes

Using the knowledge you have about Winston Churchill, devise your own enquiry about him and undertake an investigation of the Churchill Museum, focusing on Leadership. Record your evidence and then discuss your results with the rest of the group.

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Life on the Home Front - Artefacts

60 minutes

How can original artefacts help you learn about the Home Front during the Second World War? Working in small groups, practice your enquiry skills and then use what you have found out to create a mini-exhibition for the other students to view.

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Life on the Home Front - Propaganda

60 minutes

What makes a good propaganda campaign? Analyse a range of Home Front propaganda posters to find out. Then work in small groups to design your own Second World War poster based on the principles discussed.

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Life on the Home Front - Women

90 minutes

Use artefacts, sources and film to identify and evaluate the varied roles of women during the Second World War. Consider the themes of war work, working conditions, propaganda and morale.

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Meet an Evacuee

60 minutes

Available on Mondays only until 22 July 2013

Students have the opportunity to meet a Second World War eyewitness who can answer students' questions and share their memories of evacuation and life on the home front. This session is only available on Mondays.

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Operation Fortitude

Available from 3 September 2013

60 minutes

Students work in teams taking on the roles of Cypher Officers, Covert Operatives, Typists and Map Room Officers, to work together in the Cabinet War Rooms to deliver a plan to ensure allied success on D-day.

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Origins of the Cold War

60 minutes

Work with written sources to assess the changing nature of the relationship between Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States between 1943 and 1951.

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The Power of Speech: Winston Churchill

60 minutes

Analyse the structure and meaning of language by deconstructing Churchill’s speech 'This Wicked Man', broadcast from the Cabinet War Rooms at the height of the London Blitz on 11 September 1940.

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Key concepts

  • Chronological understanding
  • Change and continuity
  • Cause and consequence
  • Significance and interpretation
  • Cultural and critical understanding of a range of images and artefacts from different contexts

Key processes and skills

  • Historical enquiry
  • Using evidence
  • Communicating about the past
  • Critical thinking and enquiry

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Learning Resources

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From the World Wars to the Cold War, IWM gives teachers and students in UK schools everything they need to explore the course, causes and consequences of conflict from the First World War to today.

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