Veterans’ Story Hour

One hour. Two veterans. Fifteen minutes each. Then thirty minutes of questions from the children. These notes are for the class teacher. Use what fits the year group; leave the rest.

1. Teacher notes — running the hour

School staff stay in the room. The school remains in charge. Speakers have been asked to keep language and detail suitable for the year group. This is not a parade and it is not a politics lesson.

Questions that work

• What did you do in the Forces, in a sentence?
• Where did you train, or where were you based?
• Who helped you when the work was hard?
• What did you have to learn that you did not know before?
• What do you want children to remember from today?

Questions to steer away from

• Anything that asks a speaker to describe killing, wounds, or a named operation in detail.
• Party politics, wars as a “which side were you on” argument, or questions meant to catch a speaker out.
• Personal medical history, pay, or family rows.

If a child asks something raw, the teacher can say: “That is a serious question. We will keep it to what our guest is happy to tell.” Then move on.

2. Key Stage 1 — Years 1 and 2

Aim: listen, remember one thing, say thank you. Ten minutes the day before; a drawing or sentence after.

The day before

• Explain: a veteran is someone who served in the Army, Navy, Royal Air Force or another service, and has now left.
• Each child thinks of one question starting with who, what or where.

After the hour

• Draw one thing you heard. Write a caption of three to six words.
• Or finish: “Today I learned that…”
• A class thank-you: one large card, every child signs or draws.

3. Key Stage 2 — Years 3 to 6

Aim: prepare a real question, follow a story, write a short account. Fits English (listening, recount) and History / Citizenship at a light touch.

The day before (15–20 minutes)

• Words to know: veteran, service, duty, comradeship, regiment or unit, Remembrance.
• Each child writes two questions. The teacher keeps a short list so the Q&A does not stall.
• Remind them: we are asking about work, training, places and people — not for a war film.

During the hour

• Listen for: who the speaker is, what they did, where they served, one hard thing, one thing they are proud of.
• Jot three words, not a transcript.

After (one lesson, or homework)

• Write 80–120 words: “What I heard from one of our visitors.”
• Or a letter of thanks naming one detail, so it is not a blank “thank you for coming.”
• Optional: mark on a world or UK map any place a speaker named.

4. Key Stage 3 — Years 7 to 9

Aim: hear two first-person accounts and compare them. Fits Citizenship (community, identity) and English (spoken language, non-fiction).

Before

• Read, if useful, one short VC note on the campaign Stories page — O’Leary, Gordon or Gould — so the class has a sense of range. That is background, not the hour itself.
• Each pupil prepares one question that cannot be answered with yes or no.

During

• Note what is the same in both accounts (training, teamwork, leaving home) and what is different (service, era, place).

After

• 200–250 words: compare the two speakers without turning it into a score-card.
• Or a five-minute pair presentation: “What service looked like for these two people.”
• Optional discussion, teacher-led: why a country bothers to hear from people who served. Keep it civic, not party-political.

5. After the visit — for the school

• A short email to myone_ie@hotmail.co.uk if you want the speakers named on the Schools page.
• Photographs only where parent consent allows.
• If a child was upset, that is a school matter first. Tell us if we should brief the next class differently.