Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration
The National Literacy Trust has teamed up with award-winning author Tom Palmer to produce free resources for use in the classroom or at home, to help schools commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.
When is Holocaust Memorial Day?
International Holocaust Memorial Day is commemorated on 27 January every year, and this year falls on Monday 27 January 2025.
What is Holocaust Memorial Day?
As defined by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Holocaust Memorial Day is the international day on 27 January to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups and during more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
Further information about Holocaust Memorial Day can be found on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s website, and you might find this enhanced guidance for 2024 useful.
How we can support you to teach about Holocaust Memorial Day
To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, our live event and accompanying resources aim to support young people’s literacy skills while helping them learn about the past. We hope to inspire them to work toward a future where hatred and persecution are challenged. These resources encourage pupils to engage in non-fiction writing, sharing survivors’ stories and their experiences after liberation, with a focus on fostering empathy and understanding. This work is inspired by the writings of author Tom Palmer, and the resources explore the processes involved in creating written pieces that have been well-researched and sensitively crafted.
Our literacy resources are designed to be used throughout the week beginning Monday 27 January, with pupils aged 11 to 14 (Key Stage 3/S1 to S3).
As in previous years, we have worked with author Tom Palmer to plan and deliver a suite of resources and a free event to support teaching on this challenging subject.
In addition, we also have age-appropirate resources available for pupils aged 10 to 11 (Key Stage 2/P7).
Holocaust Memorial Day online event
Secondary teachers and students (ages 11 to 14), are invited to join us for a free online commemoration event featuring award-winning writer, Tom Palmer, author of After The War in conversation with Holocaust survivor, Alfred Garwood and Child survivor, Antoinette Mutabazi.
Date: Monday 27 January
Time: 10.00 to 10.45
Suitable for: pupils aged 11 to 14 (KS3/S1 to S3) and their teachers
Teaching resources for Holocaust Memorial Day 2025
For pupils aged 11 to 14 (KS3/S1 to S3)
New resources will be available to download week commencing 16 December in advance of the commemoration week and our live event. Resources include:
- A teacher guide outlining the resources and writing outcome, with ideas and sources to support your delivery of the project.
- A bespoke film created by Tom Palmer where he explores his non-fiction writing process through retelling five stories, taken from real life testimonies highlighting stories of life after liberation.
- A non-fiction writing activity encouraging pupils to share a story which they have explored, teaching others about the importance of hearing and sharing real stories about the Holocaust and life after.
- A booklist of recommended reads to support the teaching of this important subject.
Resources: for pupils aged 10 to 11 (year 6/KS2/P7)
You can download KS2 resources at the bottom of this page. These resources include:
- A teacher guide outlining the resources and writing outcome, with ideas and sources to support your delivery of the project.
- A PowerPoint presentation with video from Tom Palmer, to introduce the story and resources to pupils.
- A story written specially for Holocaust Memorial Day in five instalments by author Tom Palmer.
- Five videos by Tom Palmer with five follow-up activities linked to each instalment of the story (pupil activity sheets included)
- A reflective writing activity encouraging pupils to share what they have learnt and discuss the importance of hearing real stories about the Holocaust.
- A booklist of recommended reads to support the teaching of this important subject.
Supporting video and audio resources for KS2
Supporting the downloadable teacher guidance, writing activities, and five-part story, we have recordings of Tom Palmer reading each section of the story. You can watch each part of the story below, or access the full playlist.
In addition, we have audio recordings of Tom interviewing Mala as part of his research for writing This is not a a story. These are referenced in the guidance and resources, and you can listen here:
A note from the National Literacy Trust
By its very nature the subject of the Holocaust is extremely upsetting. Tom's film and our resources are created to be appropriate for pupils aged 11 to 14 (Years 7, 8 and 9). However, we know that we all find the Holocaust tough to comprehend and process, and for some pupils it might be too much for them to hear about. You will know your pupils the best. Once available, please watch the film and read through the resources beforehand to ensure that you are able to support your class.
Pupils' work
Schools will be able to submit their pupils' writing inspired by these resources. Read more about this in the Teacher Guide (in the free downloads below). Some of these will be published on our website when promoting next year's offer (with your permission). You can view previous entries here.
More resources
Further Holocaust Memorial Day resources, including free CPD for teachers, can be accessed from UCL's Centre for Holocaust Education. These include resources relating to After The War.