Did they die in vain?

Remembering the Battle of the Somme and other events within the First World War will be popular features of primary assemblies as part of the centenary commemorations. Yet primary teachers are often concerned about how to explore a topic as challenging as the First World War with such a young audience. Can  it be possible to learn about the Somme, which was  one  of the bloodiest battles in history, where over one million men died, without shocking and upsetting children? Set against that the fear that if we play down too much the horrors of  war we could end up presenting pupils with an oversanitised and false impression of these momentous events...