Pupils at St Mary's College in Crosby recently embarked on a history project to find out more about the background to the sinking of the Titanic.

The fate of the largest passenger steamship of its age was the subject of the latest independent learning day for year 9 students at the school.

Normal timetable was suspended to allow pupils to conduct their own research into the White Star Line vessel, which collided with an iceberg in April 1912 and sank with the loss of 1,500 lives.

Pupils were then encouraged to present their findings in a variety of ways,from creative writing, art and drama through to Powerpoint presentations and model making.

Meanwhile, the catering staff at St Mary's also joined in with the spirit ofthe day by creating a special Titanic-themed menu for the school diningroom.

This reflected some of the people and places involved in the story of the tragic liner, including her Captain, Edward J Smith.

St Mary's Head of History, Niall Rothnie, who organised the Titanic project commented: "Independent learning days help to develop students' research skills and give them the opportunity to present what they discover in arange of creative ways.

"The Titanic project really seemed to capture the imagination of the pupils and I was delighted that our catering team decided to get involved as well."

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