10. Read the article, written by one of the children from th…

10. Read the article, written by one of the children from the kindertransport, many years later.  (5)          A New Home – by Irene Katzenstein Schmied   On a Friday afternoon in early April 1939, I stood with my mother on a platform at Victoria Station. Several ladies seemed to be hovering around us. Perhaps one of them would be Mrs. Muirhead. My mother—just arrived in England and working as a domestic—could not have me with her, nor did my previous hosts want to keep me. I needed somewhere to stay.     Almost three months had passed since I had arrived in England on a Kindertransport. Child that I was, I only remembered childish things about the trip over, such as the delicious cocoa at the Jewish Domestic Science School in Hamburg where we stopped for lunch before boarding the ship, the HMS Manhattan. That evening I listened, spellbound, to the stories of farewells told by my glamorous and far more grown-up cabin mates: Would they ever see their parents, boyfriends, again? At least I knew that my mother would soon join me in England. The next evening’s debarkation in Southampton led to a trip on a double-decker bus to the sound of the rain and the drumming of tree branches on the roof. Breakfast at our overnight accommodation —a school, or possibly a hostel— brought the first taste of porridge (from then on “comfort food”) steaming under a blanket of brown sugar. A train ride to London followed. Tante Hilde (a friend of my parents) met me and whisked me off in a taxi to Turners Wood in Hampstead. Annelie, once my best friend in Berlin, came out to greet me.     Imagine you are Irene Schmied. You are one of the children evacuated with the Kindertransport. After many months you are about to be reunited with your family. As you pack your bags to return to your home, you think about the things you want to tell your mother when you see her. Write a short paragraph of no more than 75 words. You should mention: 1.     what you saw on the way to your new home (2) 2.     how you felt when you arrived at your new home (1) 3.    how you were treated at your new home (2)    

  8. Read the article and answer the question which fo…

  8. Read the article and answer the question which follows (5)   What do you think of schools during Victorian England? Write a short paragraph of no more than 75 words comparing schools of today to the schools mentioned in the reading. You should mention: 1.     Who attended schools in the past and compare it to schools today, (2) 2.     How boys and girls were treated and how they are treated today, (2) 3.     What kind of teaching Victorian children received and how teaching is different today. (1)     Schools in Victorian Britain          At the start of Queen Victoria’s reign, only a few children attended school. Most poor children worked, and their earnings were an important part of the family income. By going to school, their families would lose this money.      There were village schools in some parts of the country, which were run by the church, or small ‘Dame’ schools, usually run by one woman. ‘Dame’ schools were often more about childcare than learning. Sadly, some places which called themselves ‘schools’ were actually workshops. The children would be used for cheap labour, making lace or plaiting straw.      In many big towns, there were Ragged schools, set up by people like Dr Barnardo who cared about the children.                As well as gaining an education, they would be fed and cared for. In 1870, the Education Act was passed, which said there had to be a school in every town and village, meaning that all children had to go to school.           Boys and girls went into school through separate doors, sat in separate rows and were taught separately. The rules of the class were extremely strict. Pupils were hit with canes if they misbehaved. The children write on slates with slate pencils and spent lots of time copying from the blackboard.           In class, the teacher sat at the front. There were maps, books, a bible, a globe, an abacus, and Queen Victoria’s picture on the wall. Boys learned science, woodwork, technology and extra maths. Girls learned sewing and housework. They both learned reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic and drill.