An education pack containing photographs, eye-witness accounts and drawings of the historic moment when football brought the First World War to a halt is being sent to all UK schools.
The Christmas Day Truce in 1914 saw spontaneous football matches take place between soldiers on the frontline in No Man’s Land.
The packs have been produced by the British Council, The FA, Premier League and Football League and include accounts and depictions from soldiers, some of which have never been published.
Entitled Football Remembers, the memories are from British, French, Belgian, German and Indian witnesses and accompany activities for English, modern foreign languages, drama, art, sport, history, moral education and conflict resolution.
At the same time, a schools challenge has been launched to design a permanent memorial to Truce, which is to be built at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The winning design will be chosen by Prince William and England forward Theo Walcott and unveiled in December.
Elsewhere, the Institute of Education (IoE) has launched its five-year First World War education programme, which will see thousands of school children and teachers visiting battlefields as part of the centenary commemorations.
Throughout 2014 to 2019, two pupils and one teacher from every state-funded secondary in England will be invited to join a four-day tour to the Western Front accompanied by professional battlefield guides. All teachers will also be able to take part in a CPD programme being led by the IoE.
Professor Stuart Foster, executive director of the programme, said: “We will encourage teachers and pupils to think critically about the causes and development of the conflict, how it was perceived at the time, and to examine different historical interpretations.”
The Football Remembers pack, including details of the competition, is being sent directly to schools. It can be downloaded at http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/football-remembers
For more on the IoE Battlefield Tours Programme, visit www.ioe.ac.uk/study/87073.html