Year 5 dived straight into their history topic this half-term with a trip to the British School Museum in Hitchin. We began our day learning about the great hall and how many children would have been taught by just one teacher, 800 children to only 1 teacher in the early days. We then explored the old headmaster's house and spent time in each room discussing how life would have been different in those times for the people living there – including the lack of electricity, heating and running water! We looked at the creative ways they kept the bed warm, washed and dried their laundry and discussed what the pots were used for under the bed! We discussed the difference in the lives of the poor and rich and how life would have differed for boys and girls. Later we were transported back in time and took part in a Victorian style lesson learning the 3 R’s (reading, writing & arithmetic). The children completed their work using slate and pencil and then tried out the ink - dipping their pens in the pot on the table.  Some of our left-handed children even tried writing with their right hand as they were told, 'The right hand is the right hand to write with!'. To make the experience as authentic as possible, a child was selected to wear the dunces caps and we even had one caning (well, a very good actress that made it seem believable anyway!). We finished our day with a PE lesson – drills in the yard – and then played with Victorian toys. All in all a fantastic day filled with memorable experiences and crammed full of learning.