STUDENTS from Royal Wootton Bassett Academy will play their part in sharing the lessons from history when they visit the Central Library next month.

It often seems that the issue of human rights abuse is never far from the headlines - whether it be related to refugees, rogue regimes or remembering events from previous generations.

With each passing tragedy the politicians proclaim ‘never again’ yet atrocities keep happening.

The challenge of learning from the past and ensuring those pledges to change are more than just words are among the issues that students at RWBA grapple with as part of the school’s pioneering Holocaust, genocide and human rights programme.

As part of that work, a group of students have formed a reading and discussion group where they read one book per term and then discuss it with their peers - the books include The Book Thief and Against the Tide of Evil.

Reading is followed up with discussions about how the work tries to inform the audience about the horrendous effects of genocide and the human responses to it.

Year 10 student, Kieran Ward, said: “I’ve been taking part in the RWBA Holocaust and genocide RAD group for a while now. So far it has made a very positive impact on me.

“Personally, I find the different perspectives put across in the many books we read highly educational, not just academically but also in making myself a better person.”

Now the group want to take their efforts beyond the school and into the community. On December 16, from 1pm until 3pm, they will be on hand at Swindon Central Library to present a selection of books and discuss their impact.

Sophie Staniforth, a history teacher at RWBA who has been working with the students, said: “The group is a wonderful example of how well a student-led project can flourish and it is fantastic that the wider community are having the opportunity to experience and share in the work they’ve been doing.

“This collaborative project between the library and RWBA students will give the public a chance to ask the students questions about their projects and uncover the power words and literature has to make the world a better place.”