Lockdown sparks new annual History publication

The History department decided to take advantage of the lockdown this year and has published the first annual Bablake History Magazine!

When it was announced that schools were to close and work remotely, and GCSE and A-Levels exams were not to be set, as a department we wanted to make sure that we had something positive to take out of the experience. The idea of a magazine was interesting as it would allow students to research and pursue an area of history they were interested in and would not normally have the opportunity to undertake. The idea was also to make something that as many people as possible could engage with, which is why the wide variety of topics was so good. We wanted to encourage people to engage with history resulting in our ‘Things to do’ section. A number of students were very enthusiastic and it was great to see so many get involved in it.

Fiona Chung, Upper Sixth, took on the role of editor, and was ably supported by a number of other students who met regularly to work on the magazine. Speaking about the whole process, she said, "When the History Department asked us if we would like to produce a history magazine, I was thrilled to have the opportunity! History is something I am incredibly passionate about so it was great to have the chance to share my love of the subject. We put together a team of pupils in Fifth Year, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth as well as staff to write pieces on topics that they found interesting and wanted to explore further."

"Inspired by existing history magazines like BBC History Magazine, BBC History Revealed and History Today, we wanted to include a range of formats. The mix of longer articles, A-Z, short profiles and timelines meant that it was something that would be accessible for everyone. We met weekly via calls on Teams on Monday afternoons to discuss ideas and plan what to do for the week ahead. Of course, this did present us with some problems as technology did not always cooperate but on the whole, we were able to work together to ensure that we had a finished magazine by our original deadline.

"We have learnt a lot of new skills from this process: researching with resources we could only access from home, adapting to the challenges of working remotely and figuring out how to use a new software to create a design. The Bablake History Magazine is a reminder of what we achieved during this difficult time. I am proud of the entire team that has put together this publication and I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.’

I am incredibly proud of everyone who has been involved in the production of this excellent magazine. It is a project that we plan to continue for future years. The pupils gained so much from the experience that we've decided to continue - lockdown or not. Thanks again to everyone for your help and support in getting this first issue out on time.

Mrs Rees - History