We have had a busy and exciting start to our new History topic about the Victorians. In our first lesson, we looked closely at old and modern photographs to see how schools have changed over time. We noticed that Victorian children wrote on slate boards with slate pencils instead of using whiteboard pens, and we were surprised to see how plain their classrooms were. The children sat in neat rows, and there were hardly any displays on the walls—very different from our bright and colourful classrooms today!
In our second lesson, we explored whether all children went to school in Victorian times. We found out that children from rich families might have been taught at home by a tutor, while many children from poor families didn’t go to school at all because it cost money. Instead, lots of them had to go out to work to earn money for their families, often doing tough and sometimes dangerous jobs.
This week, we learnt all about Queen Victoria and why she is an important historical figure. We were pleased to discover that during her long reign, school eventually became free and compulsory for all children. This helped make education fairer and gave every child the chance to learn.
We are now really looking forward to our trip to Reveley Lodge next week, where we will be learning even more about life in Victorian times and experiencing it for ourselves.
How to Help at Home:
Talk with your child about how school life has changed, look at old photos together, read Victorian-themed stories, or have a go at writing on a “slate” using a small whiteboard. These small activities can help deepen their understanding and spark further curiosity.