The Ghost Of Firth Park Our School

In today's Our School, eight students on a ghost hunt.

-Are you scared?

-WHISPERS:

-Yeah, I'm scared.

I'm good.

If you're a ghost, give us a sign.

Will they all make it out all right?

Hello? Is anybody there?

If you're watching us, please stay away from our school.

There's something here.

SCHOOL BELL RINGS

Meet our new Year 7.

Sick bucket!

It's the most important school year of their life so far.

Haircuts...

They're all starting here together.

That level of noise is absolutely disgusting.

-GIGGLING

-Yes!

This has seen better days.

You stink, Sir.

CBBC have filled the entire place with cameras

so you'll get to watch Year 7 every step of the way.

-Stop waving at me.

-Yeah!

Hello, I'm Mr Jones. I'm a maths teacher here at Our School,

and every time that you're here, I'm going to be here too.

Right now I'm late for a lesson. Excuse me.

Come on in.

Boom! Mic drop.

Our School in Sheffield has been here almost 80 years.

Exciting things have happened.

STUDENTS GASP AND SCREAM

Generations of students have learned their lessons here.

Like how to sit at a table...

or not.

How to behave in a lesson.

No stupid noises, no drinks.

No breathing.

Even the law of gravity.

If Our School could talk, it would have so many stories to tell.

But instead, it's up to our history teacher,

Mrs Black, to bring our pasts to life.

Well, what we're looking at today

is to look at who will make the best wife for Henry VIII.

And today she's going way back and talking Tudors.

To know the names of Henry's six wives and to be able to explain

a social and political reason why he married them.

I'm looking for six volunteers now.

I had to dress up as Henry VIII.

I had to wear a big massive jacket thing

and I were boiling.

Welcome to a very special dating game show.

Today we are going to fix Henry up with a lovely lassie based upon

political reasons and social reasons.

Come on in, Henry.

BOOING

What you chatting about? What are you chatting about?

What you chatting about? What you chatting about?

Thank you, thank you.

Shut up, shut up.

I actually need Wayne in every one of my lessons to actually

tell people that if they don't listen to me,

he's going to have the power to chop off their head.

How dare you boo me?!

-Is that me throne?

-That's your throne.

-Thank you.

The first wife, Catherine of Aragon!

CHEERING

Anne Boleyn's your next Queen. Be prepared to cheer.

CHEERING

I had to wear this, like, dress. with, like, sparkly bits.

It felt embarrassing, man.

YELLING

Sometimes the lads won't wear a dress

because they get embarrassed,

but the lads actually were clambering into those dresses.

-Sit on my lap, if you want?

-Oh, what!

Catherine Howard!

CHEERING

Catherine Parr! Look at that dress.

CHEERING

What's your name, and where do you come from, pet?

Henry married me in June of 1509 when I was 18.

King Henry and I have been having an affair behind your back

and I am pregnant!

STUDENTS WHOOP

Henry just divorced Anne of Cleves

as he said she looked like a Belgian horse.

Khloe Kardashian learned everything from me

and this is why Henry fancies me.

The other wives' performance was good, cos...

they were good-looking, but the dress wasn't as good as mine,

so Henry VIII didn't want them, he wanted me.

So, we have our winner.

THEY SING WEDDING MARCH

I'm embarrassed, cos Jaafar, shout out...

..turned out to be my wife.

Yeah, which is a very good thing. I think you'd be a great couple.

Shanazze, I've been married to Jaafar.

I've been pregnant.

I definitely think Miss Black is a big part of

making history a lot of fun.

She always thinks of really good lessons.

How's your handwriting coming on?

And the thing with Mrs Black is, even out of school,

she's always talking about history.

So, this week at school, we've been looking at the Tudors.

-You looked at that in primary school, didn't you?

-Yeah.

Are you are getting dizzy, are you?

Do you remember Henry VIII?

When I try to speak to my son about history,

he's just not interested at all.

I do test some of my lessons on him because he's a Year 7.

He prefers to be on his games.

The King could cut off your head like that.

Would you like your head on a pole?

I wouldn't like to teach my own children - that would be quite hard.

What do you think you're going to be doing in school today, Imogen?

-Er, maths.

-Maths?

We're looking at the Sheffield blitz during World War II,

so that's what my Year 7s are going to be studying today.

I remember when I was at school and the teachers made it fun,

the lessons I hated, where I messed about in,

was when I was bored out of my head.

So, as a teacher, I like to mix it up.

The day I become a boring teacher is the day I quit teaching, really,

so, yeah!

MUSIC: The White Cliffs Of Dover by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra

As we all start another day in the 21st century,

Mrs Black is travelling back in time to the 1940s.

Today's title is What Can I Learn from Sources

about the Sheffield Blitz?

But first...

INSTRUMENT RATTLES LOUDLY

Now... Anyone know what this is?

They used it in the war to blow people's ears off?

Why? Why, why, did they use it? Go on.

Was it maybe, like, to signal when something was going to happen?

Right, I'll give you a clue. You're doing well, you're doing well.

Wait there.

INSTRUMENT RATTLES

No, I know what it is. I know what it's for.

I think history is awesome.

Some people think it's really boring and it's got nothing to do with

anything now, but I just like learning about things

that have happened in the past.

Does anyone know how he's dressed today?

-Shanazze?

-He's a fire guard. He is a fire guard, well done.

During World War II, the Home Guard - that was like pensioners,

Dad's Army - had to wear this uniform.

I found this in our school when I was rummaging round.

I think that there's loads of history in our school,

which is a good thing about it because we can learn about

where we're learning and where we're studying at.

Now, the Sheffield Blitz took place on December 12th 1940 and

in the head teacher's log of this school in 1940,

I found this - "An alert was sounded the 7pm this evening.

"The students were all successfully placed in the shelters..."

-HEAD MASTER:

-"..and remained during

"the very heavy air raids on the city."

My mum's great-grandad was in the war and he was fighting.

And THEN my mum's great-grandma was working as a nurse.

If my great-great-great grandad was still alive, I would've been able to

know all about World War II.

That's why I really like learning about history.

Family is really important to Shanazze.

My little brother's six.

My other brother, he's eight years old.

What year will I be in when he comes?

You'll be in Year 11 when he goes into Year 7.

Aw, that's good cos I can see them then.

They are sweet sometimes,

but sometimes they're annoying and naughty.

THEY YELL AND GIGGLE

What I want to do when I'm older is I want to become a gymnast,

I want to be a vet because I really like animals.

I want to be an author cos I like reading books,

but then I really want to write my own story.

I like to read a lot.

I've got, like, a massive book shelf full of books

that I've had from, like, years ago that I haven't read yet,

so I'm trying to, like, read them all.

Shanazze loves stories.

But sometimes the best 'uns are right under your nose,

and Mrs Black's been finding out some stories about the school.

Over the years, there have been creepy tales about

strange and unexplained happenings,

and for Mrs Black, it's all part of the power of history.

Local rumour has it that the school was used as a hospital

during World War II.

The caretakers tell me that in my classroom they had hospital beds.

Apparently there's lots of stories about hauntings on the corridor.

So this is the head teacher and I found this hat

and this hat, I believe, belonged to that head teacher.

Would anyone like to try on his hat?

Go on, Michael. Let's see how lovely you look in it.

I'm the head teacher. I'm the master now.

Be quiet!

Now, legend has it that if the hat leaves the building,

then the head teacher's ghost is going to run after people.

Roaming like this...

SHE SCREAMS

Yes! Yes!

-My friend says it Tasers you.

-Sure it will, sure it will.

I don't believe in that kind of thing.

Cos if you think about it, there's a ghost in the building,

it could even be a poltergeist, and then it could kill you.

Why are we talking about this while we're in school?

Now, last night I was here until about seven o'clock,

and I spoke to the caretaker.

Now, he said that outside these double doors out here,

he had seen a nurse.

There was two nurses with a man in the middle

and the nurses were carrying the man down the corridor.

INDISTINCT QUESTIONS

That might tie to this building being a hospital during the war.

We're not sure about this. We're still researching this.

I'm not afraid of ghosts. Because they don't exist.

THE EXORCIST THEME

PHONE VIBRATES

I know it sounds weird but I'd like to become a ghost and die before

people I don't like, cos then people I don't really like,

I could just haunt them.

I think it'd be quite cool to be a ghost cos you could go to

the zoo, pick up a penguin and pretend it's flying.

If I saw a ghost, I'd make friends with it,

see if it's friendly, first.

And if it isn't friendly I'd just...

whack it with my straighteners or something.

Once my door, it kept opening

and it was just, like, opening and closing.

Oh, that happened to me, but that was because the windows were open.

-I believe in the paranormal.

-I've seen ghosts.

I were walking with my mum in the graveyard

and I saw something go like that.

It were literally an arm and I looked around and no-one

were there, it was so creepy.

We went into the attic, there were all stairs stuck up,

stacked on each other in a big row, and...

..we could heard summat, like, scraping along the floor.

We looked behind us,

there were, like, this brick moving around in circles.

It were right weird.

I think the average kid would think school's boring,

but not this school -

THIS school is haunted.

The humanities corridor is supposed to be

the most haunted corridor in school.

-Right, that corridor is the coldest corridor in the school.

-Exactly!

When you walk in through the other door,

you can really feel, like, a tense kind of breeze,

or kind of like a paranormal kind of wave just hit you.

-On the F corridor...

-I was on the history corridor.

-Yeah.

-This is what I heard...

-RECORDING:

-She's here, she's really here.

That's what I heard.

That sounds just like Amy to me...

But look what the caretaker found on CCTV.

Did you see that?

Let's watch it again.

What is that?

Ugh! I wouldn't want to be roaming those corridors at night.

But that's exactly what some of your Year 7s are going to do.

Mrs Black has arranged a spooky sleepover

for some of her keenest historians

so they can explore the school's wartime past

and have a bit of ghostly fun, too.

As the rest of the school go home for the night,

the Year 7 historians gather with Mrs Black and Mr Webb.

They both look a bit different.

I decided to wear World War II nurse's uniform.

The kids really, really loved it.

Mister looks smart!

I got to wear this amazing uniform

which was unlike anything that I'd ever, ever worn.

He actually looked pretty cool in it, he did.

With his cap on, he'd all his nice uniform,

massive boots. It suited him, yeah.

So we're going to transport you back to our school 1940s-style,

and what we've got in the box is...

the original school uniform.

So, let's get ourselves kitted up. So there you go.

It's like we just jumped through a door into 1940s.

It definitely looked very, very smart.

CHATTER

Oh, man, the ties are much more better!

I think that the school uniform was very nice

because it was red and the best part is...they were comfortable.

I like this uniform better. It's way more...swag.

To be honest, I liked them.

I think they were better than these uniforms.

Our historians are split into two teams

and given clues to hunt for links to the school's wartime past.

So, let's go before it gets dark and the ghost'll get us.

-I want the ghost to get me.

-Oh, I know.

Ghosts? "What a bunch of hippy-dippy baloney!"

So, we're now about here.

So what do you think these white patches are on the field?

-They're clues.

-What do you think was here?

What would protect you from the bombs?

The Anderson shelter. Is it? No.

Not an Anderson shelter, but you're close, you're close.

A bit better than an Anderson shelter.

-What would be deep underground?

-Bomb shelter underneath.

A big bunker underneath the ground.

It was very weird to know that loads of kids would've walked through

there and, like, deep underground, right beneath our feet.

So we're literally right on the bunker.

When Miss Black told us about the bunkers underground, I felt

excited cos I haven't really heard of it

and it was quite cool that it was still there.

So, the students in this school, during the night of

the Sheffield Blitz, they had to come out and hide in the bunker

and places downtown got really, really bombed.

Oh, yeah, they tried to destroy the metal factories,

cos they knew that's how they made the bombs.

Well done, Shanazze.

When you've got good teachers, like Miss Black,

who're teaching you properly and are like acting out things,

you can get really into it and you like start to like it more.

"You are going on a journey, you will need me early.

"Somewhere to put the teddy. Have you packed him already?

"Mr Shaw looks after him and keeps me with the stationery."

Shall we try B22 first?

Right, let's go then, let's see what to says.

-Can you see where it might be?

-It's not in here.

It said something about this stationery cupboard, didn't it?

-It could be around his desk.

-I can feel a presence!

Check in those cupboards!

A strong presence!

-Here, I've found it.

-Oh!

-It might not be teddy.

-Pop it on this front table, then.

Right, who might have been putting teddies in suitcases?

Remember we are in the 1940s here.

Oh, a kid who was evacuated because it's too dangerous for them.

Too dangerous. So it must have been quite scary.

What must it have been like? You suddenly get told -

"Oh, you've got to go and move."

Cos people would've gone right out into the countryside.

-Shocking and scary.

-Yeah.

-Like you're leaving all your past

-behind that you worked for years and it's just gone like that.

-Yeah.

"I am a very old book that tells us the night the school shook.

"You will find me in the room of the king of the school."

It said "the king of the school".

So there we was like, "Mr Jones."

That's our head teacher. I wonder what they'll find in his office.

-What are we looking for?

-I like this.

-It's an old book.

-I found it, I found it.

-Right, OK. Oh, wow.

It's some sort of a diary.

We found, like, an old log book in Mr Jones' office.

You could tell it was old cos you could see the dates in it,

the 1940s, all in the war and everything.

And if you look, the head teacher's name,

what do you notice about the head teacher's name of our school?

Oh, it's the same as our head teacher now.

Do you think it's the same guy?

Unless he's, like, paranormal or like a vampire,

or something like that.

D Jones.

That is what our principal is called now.

That is weird.

I thought that was a bit spooky. That sent shivers down my spine.

-Dean Jones.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Dean Jones.

It could've been his great-grandad or great-great-grandad,

but maybe he's always been here.

And that's not the only link to the old head teacher.

Oh, look, a bell! Oh!

"Ding dong, I belong to the head, I am cracked and worn."

-That makes sense, cracked...

-And it's worn.

And over in the atrium, there's one final discovery.

These are a family's gas masks.

Now, during World War II, when they closed this school down,

they had some people in our science lab

making these for the entire country.

So these would've been made in our school.

It's probably an improvement on my face.

It's amazing to think of the history in our school

and of all those who've walked the corridors in the past.

With the history hunt over, time for some more fun.

And it wouldn't be a sleepover without some haunting stories.

Now, does anyone know any ghost stories while we're sat in the dark?

A good ghost story has to be at night,

it has to be in the darkness, and you have to have torches.

Well, it's not a story -

it's actually true, what happened to my cousin.

You may not think that I believe in ghosts, but I do believe in spirits.

We were on the Xbox, and at the time it was an Xbox 360...

LAUGHTER

Many, many, MANY years ago,

there was this girl who absolutely hated life.

We heard my other cousin's door slam shut,

And I turned around, this face just popped up and screamed.

Whoever listens to the story, she will go after.

Oh!

One of the ghost stories we've heard about is, like,

a green lady with just a white dress on,

who walks the humanities corridor.

So, what we're going to be doing next is we're going to be going up

to the humanities corridor to look for the ghost of the green lady.

Things are about to get really scary.

I'm watching from behind my settee, but if you don't like

being frightened, maybe this bit's not for you.

Like all the best horror stories,

Year 7 are about to do the worst thing possible,

split up and explore the school in the dark.

I felt scared. What if something happened?

What would we do?

You don't know what's in the dark.

It could be shadows blending in. You don't really know.

Can you see anything?

No.

Oooh!

You feel a bit what?

A little bit cold. Yeah, I know it is a bit nippy.

Being in school in the dark, you see, like, weird things.

Like, we looked into a classroom

and we saw shadows of ourselves and we got scared.

-PIERCING SQUEAL

-Whoa!

My mind was playing tricks on me

because I could hear, like, weird noises

and I started, like, thinking - what if I see this and this?

It just got really weird.

Something in that corridor.

Probably just the others playing a prank on us.

I'm not joking, I heard something down there.

OK. I heard a little child call.

OK, everyone stick together.

Who's that?

-PIERCING SQUEAL

-Who's that?!

Shanazze, she was like, she was the scaredest.

She was more scared than me.

Yeah, and YOU were a wuss!

This is so scary I'm going to go and see.

I was really, really, really, really, really, really,

really, really, REALLY scared!

I thought you liked ghosts.

We went into Miss Black's classroom which was part of the hospital ward

in the Sheffield Blitz, I think it were.

If people were brave enough because there were four beds going down here,

so I'll choose there, I'll go there.

I'm not going anywhere!

-Is that clear?

-Go on, I dare you.

Line yourselves up where the beds would've been.

-I'm not going.

-No!

I'm scared now. Too scared.

Mr Webb wanted us to lie down on the tables.

We went, "No", because it was too creepy.

Don't lay down!

Don't lay down.

Mr Webb went down and laid on the table.

Like...a daft person would do.

Sir, are you all right?

Sir. Sir.

I got scared as well because I didn't really know what was happening with Mr Webb.

Sir, stop lying.

Stop faking it.

-Rarrgh!

-GIRL SCREAMS

Oi!

Oh, sorry!

The corridor was scary enough. Mr Webb just topping that up.

Yeah, so, got us good. Very bad.

So, up ahead is the humanities corridor.

Now, allegedly, this is the most haunted part of the school.

Miss Black spooked us out because why did she have to whisper?

It was like... "I was talking to the caretaker..."

I was like, "You can talk in your normal voice, you know!

"You don't have to freak me out even more."

This is where the most activity takes place,

this is where it's coldest,

this is where the Green Lady has been spotted

and we're going to find out where she stands

and we'll go stand there.

It was colder, it was darker and Miss told us to turn off our torches

so we couldn't shine them about or anything.

It was, like, just nothing. Just walking around.

She stands exactly here, looking out this window.

No word of a lie, when we stood where she apparently was stood,

it was colder, you could feel, like, a presence. It was like...

It is colder here, George, you are right, it is definitely cold here.

Shanazze?

ECHOING BANGING

Guys? I think it's our worst fears.

I was frightened. It was absolutely horrible.

Boom, boom, boom.

LAUGHTER AND SQUEALING

But after all, that it was just the other group.

As soon as they opened the door,

we jumped in their face and they got freaked out.

You scaredy-cat!

You're such a wuss!

I ran to the door and I was... "Oi, you idiots! What are you doing?!"

FOREBODING MUSIC

I'm glad that's done.

I'm sure everyone will have a good night's sleep now.

Everyone's tired.

Night-night!

Right, time for bed, everybody. OK, heads down.

Make yourselves nice and comfy.

Sweet dreams! Hope nothing goes bump in the night.

What scares me most about the dark is that you never know.

The dark is full of wonders.

OWL HOOTS

It's the morning after.

Hey, you know the best part about getting up?

-What?

-It's going back to sleep.

And in the light of day, the Year 7 historians are reflecting

on last night's events.

Did you have nightmares?

No, but I had a dream that I ate a spider.

Luckily, I didn't have nightmares but I was worried about it.

I couldn't sleep because I kept on hearing noises

and in the middle of the night we heard a girl screaming and we were freaked out.

I heard a noise, that went, "Wooo!"

Not many kids can really say they've slept at their own school

and we've learnt so much about, like, the history of the school.

I'm proud of this school because it survived.

It's worked its way through World War Two.

Most kids wouldn't even know about the history of this school.

I agree. There's so much history around here.

And no reason to be scared

of any of it.

ECHOING SQUAWK

Next time, can our Year 7 students teach the teachers how to rap?

-HE RAPS:

-Rap is a word but for me it's a figure.

Get your sums right and your brain gets bigger!

Oi! I'm going to get you back so bad.

Watch. I'm going to get you.

SQUEALING AND GIGGLING

SQUEALING

SHE LAUGHS

I swear, I'll get you really back!