Case Study
Inviting pupils into history
The National Archives wanted to help young people understand the Windrush story as more than a historical event.
The challenge was to turn archive material into a classroom film that was engaging and alive. Students needed to understand the facts, but they also needed a way into understanding the people, choices and consequences behind them.
Using archive sources, we created a film that brought viewers closer to the lived experience behind the history. The aim was to encourage pupils to question and discuss what the evidence revealed.
Our role combined storytelling, education design and production. We worked with the material carefully, finding a way to make the subject accessible without making it feel simplified, and engaging without losing the weight of what happened.
The finished film gave teachers a resource they could use to support discussion, critical thinking and historical enquiry. It helped pupils see the Windrush story as history with real people at its centre and consequences that still matter.
The result was an engaging and award-winning education film that invited pupils into the subject and gave them a reason to keep asking questions.
