THIS week pupils from 18 schools across Bradford made history by filling and burying time capsules with mementos from the last ten years to celebrate a special anniversary.
Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT), which has grown from three to 18 academies, is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Burying the time capsules preserve not only its own history but that of Bradford and society for generations to come.
Over the last term, pupils of all ages have filled the time capsules by thinking about what future generations would need to know about the present day.
This has included schoolwork, newsletters, pictures and the children’s hopes for the future.
Pupils also collected items representing large milestones in society with Cullingworth Village Primary School including a letter from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Baildon CE Primary School also included a photo of Queen Elizabeth and King Charles, as well as a Covid-19 testing kit.
Pupils from across the Trust then buried or placed them in a special location at their school.
At Baildon CE Primary, they marked the occasion alongside the opening of their new garden.
Pupils, staff and special guests attended including Bishop Toby Howarth, Bishop of Bradford, and Carol Dewhurst, CEO of BDAT.
The Academy’s new garden will not only be home to the time capsule but will serve as a place of worship for the children to enjoy.
Bishop Toby said: "The time capsule is a beautiful and creative way of engaging the children to think about their future and the future of the school and community."
Meanwhile, at Cullingworth Village Primary School, pupils have added to their collection by burying their new time capsule alongside a previous capsule buried in 2004.
Carol Dewhurst, OBE, CEO of BDAT, said: “We're thrilled to celebrate our tenth anniversary with our family of academies and our community. It's inspiring to see how the children have brought the time capsules to life.”
Kathryn Savage, headteacher at Baildon CE Primary, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Bishop and our BDAT CEO into school for the blessing of our new worship garden and also the burying of our time capsule.”
Cathy Isaac, headteacher at Cullingworth Village Primary, said: “It has been extremely exciting to prepare resources for the new time capsule. We have captured significant Bradford and national events such as Bradford being named the City of Culture 2025, life during the pandemic, celebrating the Platinum Jubilee and recognising the change in monarch.”
Year 6 pupil Isabella Wildman added: “I'm hopeful people in the future will see what it was like for us at school and about living during a pandemic.”
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