As part of our Holocaust Beacon School participation, our Year 9 students have been working on answering the question 'How and why did the Holocaust happen?'. By creating this exhibition of art and literature, we hoped for students to not just reflect upon the horrific events of the past, but to recognise links to current affairs and the real significance of tolerance and inclusivity. We were really pleased to see that our students created some poignant pieces and approached the exhibition with a great deal of interest and maturity.

The Pate’s Choice award for the winning piece in the exhibition, as voted by Pate’s students and staff, was created by George in Year 9. George’s piece, Remember, is an oil painting of the British Holocaust survivor, and civil rights activist, Leon Greenman. The painting shows Leon watching as his wife and son were separated from him in Auschwitz. Leon was able to recognise his wife Else and son Barney due to the distinct red hoods that Else had made them. Leon never saw them again. George has captured the horrors of Jewish life under Nazi rule through the saddened gaze of a husband and father.

Here is a selection of some of the other exhibits: