St Francis Of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust
Enrichment Opportunity at St Paul’s with a Visit to the British Museum
A group of Year 1 pupils from St Paul’s Catholic Primary School in Cheshunt recently visited the British Museum for their annual school trip, accompanied by their teachers and parent volunteers. The visit was designed to enrich pupils’ understanding of their History topic ‘Toys from the Past’, through first-hand experiences and object-based learning.
During the visit, pupils took part in an interactive toy workshop where they explored and handled toys from different historical periods. Through this hands-on activity, they learnt how toys have changed over time and gained insight into how children played in the past.
They also participated in a Victorian classroom experience, allowing them the opportunity to compare schooling in the past with their own experiences today. They noticed that the old classroom looked very different from their current classrooms, sparking their curiosity about how children learnt in earlier times.
The trip enriched pupils’ understanding of how toys have changed over time. After the visit, teachers invited pupils to share their reflections on the experience. One pupil noted that some toys, such as dolls and trains, are still familiar today, although they looked much older in the past. Another pupil observed that many toys in earlier times were made from wood, while many modern toys are now made from plastic.
Katie Worton-Geer, Headteacher of St Paul’s, explained that the visit helps develop pupils’ historical enquiry skills by encouraging children to ask questions, observe artefacts and discuss similarities and differences between past and present childhood.
By viewing real artefacts from the same historical period as the toys they studied, pupils were able to make meaningful connections between their workshop learning and the museum’s collections, bringing history to life beyond the classroom.
About St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust (https://www.stfrancistrust.net)
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust (St Francis Trust) is a multi-academy trust established in 2021. It currently serves nine Catholic schools – eight primary schools and one secondary school and which is growing to welcome two more Secondary schools and four more Primary schools over the next one to two years.
The Trust’s mission is to provide an outstanding Catholic education for all the children in our schools, helping them to grow in faith and reach their full potential. Guided by the values of St Francis, the Trust promotes academic excellence, spiritual development, and service to others.