How would you feel if you were a lighthouse keeper, sent to relieve your workmates, only to find them all missing in what becomes one of the great Scottish mysteries of the 20th century? Ask P6 pupils at St Gabriel’s Primary in Prestonpans, East Lothian, who experienced this as part of the National Archives of Scotland’s “The Flannan Lighthouse Mystery” workshop.
An education officer sets the scene and pupils take part in acting out the story. A rope symbolises the lighthouse, in effect highlighting how little personal space they had. Evidence is filtered out bit by bit and the children stop every so often to examine original documents and sources.
Last year, 22 primary schools and three secondary schools attended workshops run by the National Archives of Scotland. Now in its third year, its education programme runs workshops up to Higher history level as well as providing a Glow version for schools too far away to travel to Edinburgh.
At St Gabriel’s, the story of the Flannan Lighthouse is usually covered as part of the drama course, but this year class teacher Lindsay Kennedy decided to wait until after the workshop. Instead, they prepared by listening to the Genesis song The Mystery of the Flannan Isle Lighthouse and discussing what it was about.
“Having them at the National Archives of Scotland, taking on the role, reading accounts and looking at evidence, they built up a picture and were more engaged,” says Mrs Kennedy. “They got a lot more out of it than simply covering it in class.”
Because the documents were written in old-style language, reading them took a bit of getting used to and the children had to learn to read a floor plan. But the fact that it was a real-life setting appealed.
Margaret McBryde, education officer at the National Archives of Scotland, says: “We use role play, acting, presentations, working in pairs and in groups. We keep them moving. We vary approaches, making it lively and interesting. We want them to be able to understand archives and the roles and relevance of history.
“For us, the remit is to provide access to primary sources to make it an enjoyable experience. We have taken adult material and made it accessible to P4-7s. Because it is a mystery, it gives them opportunities to use primary sources.”
While the four men who went missing are central to the story, archivists have also researched what happened to the men who discovered them missing, the lighthouse keepers who arrived to take over. Unsurprisingly, none wanted to remain on the Hebridean island. Pupils are told the stories of what happened afterwards, and of the path these men’s careers took.
Mrs Kennedy says: “They were all in awe and, on hearing the story, they were fascinated. They tried to get to grips with what went wrong. Some went for supernatural explanations, but most went for logical conclusions. I was surprised. I thought more would go for ghost stories. Most thought it was an accident related to the weather.”
The workshops are set up so that they are not learning about history, they are part of a mystery reliving the events of a hundred years ago.
“The kids love it,” says Mrs McBryde. “They like being involved and they take control of the story. We play on the fact it is a mystery. The feedback is very positive, and we are constantly revising and reworking. We never deliver the same workshop two weeks running. We ask teachers for suggestions.”
Back in the classroom and the workshop has provided a full two weeks of cross-curricular work. The children have delved into Scottish history, they have used it as an art theme, and they have taken the food allowances as a basis for some maths work.
With the majority of Scottish islands being off the west coast, island life is not a part of Scottish culture with which many of the children are familiar.
“Because of the part of Scotland we are in, the children are not all that aware of the islands or the way of life,” says Mrs Kennendy. “This gave them a glimpse. It prompted a lot of discussions on Scotland and they now have a better understanding of Scottish geography, and of how people manage living far away.
“I didn’t foresee this before: it helped them build up a picture of the past and of today.”
scoted@tes.co.uk
RANGE OF WORKSHOPS
The National Archives of Scotland runs two-hour workshops for primary and secondary schools. Topics include:
Scotland’s Identity
The Treaty of Union, 1689-1740
Victorian Scotland
The Flannan Lighthouse Mystery
The Impact of the Great War
World War II: The Scottish Home Front
More workshops are being developed. They run from September to March each year. More information and further educational resources are available on the website: www.scottisharchivesforschools.org.
