Reading For Information
Evacuees
Learning Intention: To read the passage closely in order to understand
the information and to consider the writer’s craft.
Success Criteria
 Explain what the writer has said in your own words
 Consider the use of language features
 Assess how well the writer has conveyed his message
The Second World War
The War of 1935-45 brought dramatic changes, good and bad, to schools
in Britain. After the disruption of evacuation and the horrors of bombing
in the Blitz, the Government introduced many reforms as part of its
determination to show Britain was fighting for a better life for its
citizens.
Evacuees and the Blitz
When the war came in September, 1939, plans had already been made for
‘Operation Pied Piper’, which was to evacuate school children from bombthreatened cities to the safer countryside. Clutching their gas-masks and
belongings, some 750,000 were led by their teachers on to trains and
buses, and swept away to some vaguely known destination. They were
billeted with families in the ‘reception areas’. Their hosts were often
shocked to find how rough, dirty and ignorant town children could be.
They found children with head-lice and scabies, and some were even sown
into clothes or shod with cardboard.
For the children, the countryside could be strange: some were surprised
to find that apples grew on trees, or that cows (seen only in books) were
bigger than dogs. Schools taught them on a shift system, sharing
buildings with local children. There were sometimes fights between the
two groups. The evacuees roamed lanes and beaches, studying natural
history in open-air lessons. They benefited from fresh air and better
food, though they were homesick and drifted back into the cities.
Many schools were hit by bombs: 1,150 of London’s 1200 schools were
damaged! There were tragic incidents where bombs killed teachers and
pupils in their classrooms. The pilotless Flying Bombs (V.1s) of 1944
caused more waves f evacuation from London. Schooling suffered from
changes of teacher, form air-raid disruption and from broken nights
spent in shelters. However, improved welfare services did give children
some benefits. Many more received school meals and milk. Mass
vaccination attacked some of the child-killing diseases, like diphtheria.
The Butler Act
The picture shows a 1942 propaganda poster by Abram Games. It was on
of a series showing features of British life that the country was fighting
to improve. A brand new, attractive-looking school replaces a bombwrecked old-fashioned one.
The poster illustrates ideas for education that the government worked on
from 1941 onwards. R.A. Butler, Minister of Education, proposed a plan,
‘Educational Reconstruction’, in 1943. Little progress had been made in
the 1930’s, but now every child was to receive free primary and
secondary schooling to the age of fifteen (later sixteen). The widelypraised Butler Act was passed in 1944, and it remains the basis of English
education.
Section A
Read the section “Evacuees and the Blitz”
Now complete the following sentences to show that you understand the
main ideas
1. “Operation Pied Piper” was designed to
______________________________? (You must use your own
words)
2 marks
2. What form of transport was used and say something about their
knowledge of the place to which they were being taken. (Use your
own words) 2 marks
3. The children possessed their personal belongings and something
else. What?
1
mark
4. If you didn’t know the meaning of the word “billeted”, could you
work out what it means from: “They were billeted with families”. If
so, say what you think the word means.
2 marks
5. Near the end of the section: “Evacuees and the Blitz” the passage
tells us that the children’s schooling had been badly disrupted.
What single word then prepares for good things which also
happened?
1 mark
6. Name some of the good things which this word introduces.
3 marks
11 marks
Section B
Try to identify 5 words or experiences you would not expect a pupil in
the 21st century to use in every day language.
1
2
3
4
5
5 marks
In this section you are asked to show your understanding of
vocabulary.
In a thesaurus the words below are given as being close in meaning to
words used in this piece of writing. Complete each table with words from
the article- (from start of the piece of writing to the word “diphtheria”
at the end of the section headed “Evacuees and the Blitz”.
Words from the
Thesaurus
Words from the article
1. Significant
2. Withdraw
3. Prowl
3marks
Words after the section heading “The Butler Act”
1. Brain Washing
2. Demonstrates
3. Suggested
3 marks
11 marks
Section C
In this section you are asked to show your understanding of the main
ideas and supporting ideas.
Answer the following questions using your own words.
1. For what reason sis the government introduce many reforms?
marks
2
2. Explain (by information from the passage and perhaps your own
knowledge of literature) why the evacuation of thousands of
children was known as “Operation Pied Piper”
2 marks
3. What 3 aspects of the evacuated children surprised the hosts of
these children?
3 marks
4. On the other hand, name two surprising discoveries made by the
city children who visited the countryside for the first time
2 marks
5. What was the cause of even more children having to be evacuated
later in the war?
1 mark
10 marks
Section D
1. What is the idea being expressed by the poster?
marks
2
2. Quote the words under the section dealing with “The Butler Act”
which seem to sum up the message of the poster.
2 marks
3. The writer’s main purpose in the paragraph under “The Butler Act”
is to…
2
marks
3a. In some detail, what techniques were used by the artist who
designed the poster in order to demonstrate what the Butler Act was
trying to achieve?
5 marks
11marks
Total 43 marks
Marking Scheme for Teachers
Section A
1. To evacuate school children from bomb-threatened (1) cities to
safer countryside (1)- own words.
2 marks
2. Trains and buses(1). Idea of: to some vaguely known destinations
(1)
2 marks
3. Gas-masks (1).
1 mark
4. Billeted = housed etc
2 marks
5. However
1 mark
6. School meals, milk, mass vaccinations
2 marks
11 marks
Section B
Table 1
Evacuation, bombing, Blitz, gas-masks, billeted, reception areas, evacuees,
pilotless Flying Bombs (use own judgement)
5 marks
Table 2
Dramatic
Evacuate
Roam
Propaganda
Illustrates
Proposed
6 marks
11 marks
Section C
1. Idea of determination to show Britain fighting for a better life for
its citizens
2 marks
2. Pupils to explain idea of Pied Piper reference.
2 marks
3. Idea of ignorance. Idea of infected with conditions associated with
bad hygiene. Desperately poor standard of clothing.
3
marks
4. Apples grew on trees (1), cows were bigger than dogs (1) 2 marks
5. Germany’s use of “Pilotless Flying Bombs”
1 mark
10 marks
11 marks
Knowledge of Genre- Idea of bright future- out with dull old style
school and future in with bright modern.
Section D- Knowledge of Genre
1. Essentially the poster and the Act show the way forward for a
glorious new era in education in post war Britain.
2 marks
2. “A brand new, attractive looking school replaces a bomb-wrecked
old-fashioned one”.
2 marks
3. Idea of little having been achieved in the 1930’s in terms of
education but the Butler Act was to restructure the Education
System
2 marks
3a. Essentially modern section= bright, clean, airy, attractive
Stirring slogan- pupils. Pride your Britain
“Fight for it now”. Modern Building etc
Contrast- Old fashioned, broken blackboard, bombed out shell of old
style school.
Writing on board implies old fashioned, dull teaching methods. (Use
own judgement).
Any 5
points
11 marks