Bletchley Park Inspires Pupils

Computer Science pupils in Year 9, 10 and 12 at Loughborough High School visited Bletchley Park.

Pupils learnt that three quarters of the codebreaking workforce at Bletchley Park during World War 2 were women, which inspired them greatly.

 

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It was also discovered that Year 10 student Issy’s great-grandmother Mary Hedley was part of the code breaking team. Her name was etched into the commemorative Wall of Honour.

Issy commented: ‘I really enjoyed Bletchley Park. I found the brick on the wall with my great grandmother’s name on and got to see the enigma machine!’

Mrs Houda Benhamouda, Head of Computer Science and Digital Literacy at Loughborough Schools Foundation said: ‘It enabled them to see their role as young girls; how they can help shape the future and be part of technological growth. Computing has long carried a reputation as a male-dominated field, however, Bletchley’s legacy reminds us that women’s minds have always been essential innovators and difference-makers in STEM.’

Coding (Image: Pexels)

More about Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park was the secret home of the codebreakers in World War 2. After the war, it became a place of training for Post Office workers, teachers and air traffic control system engineers. In 1987, Bletchley Park was closed.

Exhibitions include ‘The Intelligence Factory’ where you can learn about how it operated on an industrial scale. The ‘Early Days’ exhibition shares the stories of the first codebreakers. ‘D Day: Interception, Intelligence, Invasion’ discusses the importance of intelligence they produced. ‘Hut 11A: The Bombe Breakthrough’ tells the story of the Bombe machines.