Last Updated: Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Kindertransport

Tags: Social Studies Learning and assessment

What is this?

Photograph of the commemorative statue to the Kindertransport children at Liverpool Street Station​This resource explores the significance of this movement of children in 1938/9, a result of increasing persecution of the Jews by the Nazis, just before the start of World War 2.

The Kindertransport was a major humanitarian rescue mission to save Jewish children from the increasing risks of living in countries under Nazi control. Around 10,000 children were brought out of Germany, Austria and Czechslovakia in the months immediately before the start of the Second World War. More than a million children who were forced to stay in their own countries, subsequently died in the Holocaust.

Who is this for?

​Practitioners can use this resource across the broad general education and into senior phase. It could also be used in the History National 4 Added Value Unit.

How to use this learning and assessment resource to improve practice

This learning and teaching idea has been prepared for learners working across the broad general education and senior phase. It aims to teach about the experiences of children who were part of the Kindertransport process,  which took place in 1938/9. The material provides background information and a case study of a child, Dorrith Sim, who moved to Scotland during the process.

Reflective questions

There are a number of questions that these materials could address:

  • Can I use this material to contextualise and make links to a topic for my learners?
  • Is my teaching about Scotland exciting and contemporary?
  • Can I provide personalisation and choice for my learners?
  • Can I make good cross curricular links with my teaching about Scotland?

Downloads

PDF file: Dorrith Sim biography (50.3 KB)

PDF file: Dorrith Sim photographs (2.90 MB)

​Explore this resource

Dorrith Marianne Oppenheim was born in Kassel, Germany on the 8th December 1931. She lived happily with her parents, Hans and Trude until increasing antisemitic activity by the Nazis forced her to join thousands of other children on the Kindertransport evacuation to Britain. Dorrith was only seven and a half when she started her new life in Scotland, while her parents were sent to Auschwitz on 12 October 1944, never to return.

Learn more about Dorrith Sim's life in this video clip.

Can't view this video? You can also view this clip in Glow (log-in required).

In 2011, Dorrith visited Cleveden Secondary School, Glasgow, to talk to pupils about her experiences.

Can't view this video? You can also view this clip in Glow (log-in required).

Acknowledgements

Education Scotland would like to thank Mrs Sim's family for allowing the photos to be reproduced here and would also like to thank Mr Chris MacKay, PT History at Cleveden Secondary School for his work on this project.