A NORTHOLT school is going the extra mile to teach its pupils about the importance of World War One by taking them to the battlefields of Northern France.

Students from the Alec Reed Academy in Bengarth Road will make the trip at the end of November, while year seven students also visited the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red attraction at the Tower of London on Wednesday.

Teacher Sean Pollard says he is always struck by how WW1 still resonates with young people and puts it down to the similarity in the age of those who died and those he teaches.

Mr Pollard said: “Teaching young people about the war is important. Every part of the UK has its own unique story, but what is so compelling is the contribution of so many, from all around the globe.

“Each year I see young people grapple with the magnitude of the event, but each seems to learn something important from this about the value of life.”

While in France, the pupils will be visiting the graves of several Northolt men who lost their lives in the war.