This week, pupils from 18 academies across Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT), have filled and buried time capsules with mementoes from the last ten years to celebrate the Trust’s tenth birthday.
BDAT’s mission is to provide high quality education within the context of its Christian values so that every child can fulfil their academic potential and accomplish their individual goals. The Trust’s tenth anniversary is an exemplary marker of its accomplishments, having grown from a family of three to 18 academies and now supporting over 9,500 children. Burying these meaningful time capsules will preserve not only its own history but that of Bradford and society more widely for generations to come.
Over the last term, pupils of all ages have worked together to fill their time capsules by thinking about what future generations would need to know about the present day. This has included schoolwork, newsletters, a list of their Academy values and some of the children’s hopes for the future.
Pupils have also collected items representing large milestones in society with Cullingworth Village Primary School including a letter from the late Queen Elizabeth II which they received in thanks for the 320 cards they sent her to commemorate her platinum jubilee. Baildon CE Primary School also included a photo of Queen Elizabeth and King Charles, as well as a Covid-19 testing kit.
This week, pupils across the Trust were excited to celebrate the capsules being buried or placed in a special location in the Academy. At Baildon CE Primary School, they marked the occasion alongside the opening of their new garden. Pupils, staff and special guests attended including Bishop Toby Howarth, Bishop of Bradford and Carol Dewhurst, CEO of BDAT. The Academy’s new garden will not only be home to the time capsule but will serve as a place of worship for the children to enjoy.
Meanwhile, at Cullingworth Village Primary School, pupils have added to their collection by burying their new time capsule alongside a previous capsule buried in 2004. In anticipation of the Trust’s birthday, the Academy relocated the old capsule to share a burial site with the new one. This way, the children who open them will get a glimpse of two separate eras in the Academy’s history, before and after joining BDAT.
Carol Dewhurst, OBE, CEO of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, said:
“We are thrilled to celebrate our tenth anniversary with our family of academies and our community. It is inspiring to see how the children have brought the time capsules to life, brimming with brilliant markers of each academy’s culture.
“BDAT is proud to provide an environment where pupils can fulfil their academic potential and build the foundations of their future. We look forward to the next generation opening the capsules and witnessing the great work that goes on across the Trust.”
Kathryn Savage, Headteacher at Baildon CE Primary School, said:
“We are delighted to be welcoming the Rt Reverend Dr Toby Haworth, Bishop of Bradford and BDAT CEO, Carol Dewhurst, into school for the blessing of our new worship garden and also the burying of our BDAT time capsule. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate the strong partnerships which we enjoy as a school with BDAT and the Diocese of Leeds.”
Cathy Isaac, Headteacher at Cullingworth Village Primary, said:
“It has been extremely exciting to prepare resources for the new time capsule. We have captured significant Bradford and National events such as Bradford being named the City of Culture 2025, life during the pandemic, celebrating the Platinum Jubilee and recognizing the change in Monarch more recently.”
Isabella Wildman, Year 6, said:
“I’m hopeful people in the future will see what it was like for us at school and about living during a pandemic.”