SCHOOLCHILDREN fell silent for an hour as Holocaust survivor Rudi Oppenheimer told his story to LVS Oxford school children with autism.

Pupils at the school in Begbroke near Kidlington were enthralled to hear about the 86-year-old 's life and how he and his family fled Germany for Holland in 1936 to avoid persecution.

Eyes were locked on Mr Oppenheimer as he explained how, despite fleeing, his family was captured by the Germans two years later after Holland was invaded in 1940 and they were held in unimaginable living conditions in Bergen-Belsen.

Head of School at LVS Oxford Louisa Allison-Bergin said: “We thank the Holocaust Educational Trust and Rudi Oppenheimer in particular for a very moving, emotional and educational visit.

"We want to ensure our young people are educated about important topics.

"This visit was one which they were all able to get a lot of value from, encouraging them to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and make a positive difference in their own lives.

"The visit was especially beneficial for our GCSE History students who are studying Germany and World War Two, for whom Rudi’s vivid recollections will provide lots to think about and take in."

The day was arranged on May 9 to help students to prepare for their history GCSE qualifications.

It was organised in conjunction with the Holocaust Educational Trust as part of its outreach programme and included a session about Nazi laws and discussions on which were most oppressive and why.

The session was one of a number staged recently at the school, which specialises in working with young people on the autism spectrum, in order to engage students in learning.

Other visits have included Science Oxford staff and a visit is being planned by Oxford University clinical neurosciences staff.