When in Rome...

Our 9s pupils enjoyed a two-night stay on a residential trip to Hooke Court where they were transported back in time to Ancient Rome.

The children enjoyed three days of learning all about Roman life by participating in fun activities and workshops at Hooke Court residential centre in Dorset. They had the chance to really bring their learning to life by eating, training, building, working and living like Romans. Suddenly things read about or discussed in the classroom became more real, which in turn led to a much deeper understanding. Head of Lower Prep Clair Foster, one of the members of staff on the trip, was particularly impressed with the year group. "The 9s were brilliant on the trip! The Hooke Court staff were really impressed with their listening, their knowledge and the standard of all that they produced. The mosaics in particular, were described as the best mosaics (the instructor) had ever seen!" she enthuses. 

One of the first activities involved pupils transforming themselves into Roman soldiers and learning about military manoeuvres like forming a shield wall to keep the enemy out.  They re-enacted a mock battle on the hill fort and had to make an 'orb' (a defensive position in the shape of a circle), huddled together in a 'tortoise' to keep one another safe from the onslaught of tennis balls and bean bags thrown at them and form the repel cavalry. 

They practised archery so that they were prepared to attack the enemy from a distance and rolled up their sleeves (and washed their hands!) for an interactive cookery workshop during which they prepared and cooked sweet and savoury bread, vegetable pottage and Roman sausages (Botulae) which they lapped up afterwards! 

Quieter activities involved making jewellery and Roman weaving. The children used wool to weave their own piece of woollen fabric and made their own rings and bracelets too. According to 9s pupil Dara this was one of his favourite activities when he says, "I had no idea how to card wool or to make jewellery and it's not something I would normally do, but it felt so good to learn a different skill, even an old one! It made me realise how much harder life was for the Romans but also how much fun they had too!"

They also worked in small groups to create their own mosaic tiles and then joined all their individual tiles together to create a large floor similar to the ones found in Roman villas. Cece who is a fan of arts and crafts particularly enjoyed the mosaic-making workshop but was surprised that she took to other activities. "I love arts and crafts so mosaic-making was a real highlight but I also enjoyed the archery, which I was surprised about because it's not an activity I have ever done before. It was a good way to encourage us all to try new things," she confirms. 

A session on arches and onagers (catapult weapons) taught them about the technology that the Roman Empire brought to Britain. They had a go at constructing their own arches and using them to support their own aqueducts. They then tested how strong their arches were by standing on them! 

Other fun was had around the camp fire singing games and songs, writing Latin text using the Roman alphabet and numerals, making clay lamps and designing buildings and structures (pillars, columns, domes and aqueducts) fit for a Roman emperor!

When asked about the benefits of this residential trip for our 9s, Ms Clair Foster is very clear. "A residential trip like this goes beyond academic learning and enrichment -  it encourages the development of personal qualities like independence and resilience. Even putting on the duvet cover becomes a new skill to be learnt, practised or taught to their friends! Encouraging them to think about what they need for the day, and to be responsible for their property and what they chose to eat for each meal, and when to go to bed, in order to have a successful next day, are really important decisions to learn to make."

A special thanks to Kathryn Field, 9s Form Teacher and Humanities/English teacher, who organised the trip.