Code-breakers - 19/02/2010
Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire earned its place in the history books when code-breakers cracked the Enigma ciphers on-site during World War Two. In our latest Quality Badge feature, we reveal what this fascinating venue can offer budding mathematicians.
Making WWII history
Buckinghamshire’s Bletchley Park was the centre of British code-breaking operations during World War Two, and over 10,000 people were employed there in total secrecy between 1939 and 1945. Famed as the site where code-breakers cracked Nazi Germany’s Enigma ciphers and the location of the world's first programmable, digital electronic computers, today it is a heritage site showcasing collections and exhibits on its wartime past.
Bletchley Park is open to the public seven days a week, and runs an active learning programme. Schools have been visiting the site for almost seven years, although its education programme has expanded hugely over the last four years, with the number of visiting students more than trebling.
Bletchley Park aims to inspire pupils to study various subjects within its motivational, non-traditional learning environment, and is a terrific destination for students studying Mathematics, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Computer Science and Citizenship.
It is also a great place for pupils to learn about the Government Communications Headquarters’s (GCHQ) contribution to World War Two as well as Bletchley's place in world history. Students can view exhibits and collections that depict what life was like during the war years.
A lesson in cryptography
Visiting pupils from the ages of seven to 12 can experience, study and enjoy various specialist collections, all hosted by dedicated volunteers. These collections and exhibits cover most aspects of life for military and civilian personnel during World War Two, as well as elements of cryptology, communications and computer science. For primary schools local to Bletchley and Milton Keynes, arrangements can be made for outreach visits, which incorporate History and Citizenship elements of the National Curriculum.
Various types of single-focus visits are available for 12 to 19 year-olds. Bletchley Park’s guided walking tours can be adapted to historically contextualise specific subject areas, including History, Mathematics (including cryptography) and Computer Science, and talks are provided by guides with specialist knowledge of these areas. A Computer Science-themed visit can take place at the site’s Computer Museum.
