RINGWOOD pupils have been reflecting on life in lockdown as a central theme in their end-of-year production.

Nine Class Ten students from Ringwood Waldorf School, aged 15 and 16, rehearsed and performed a radio play re-telling the story of Anne Frank, the young diarist and Second World War Holocaust victim.

During the Nazi occupation of Holland, Anne and her Jewish family had to live in hidden rooms to avoid being sent to the concentration camps.

Teenage Anne kept a diary of her thoughts and experiences in hiding.

However, Anne and her family were discovered and sent to Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Only her father survived.

English teacher and play director Nancy Urry said: “Because of lockdown, the students can now identify with Anne Frank’s story in a whole new way. We realised that it was going to be impossible to rehearse a play as usual and perform to a live audience.

“We recorded the play so that parents can hear it. It is also really important for the students to be able to work together and it’s been a great learning experience for the class.”

Other imaginative solutions to learning at the school since lockdown have included an outdoor classroom in a marquee in the field and using the school hall to house a group of keyworker children. With the school located next to Ringwood Forest, walks have also been a favourite activity.

In the kindergartens, two small bubbles of children have built dens and enjoyed craft lessons. An older group aged between 10 and 13 have been engaged in academic and creative work and re-kindling their important friendships.

The chair of the school management team, Geli Patrick, said: “We are looking forward to September and making preparations for a full return of pupils and staff in line with government guidance.”