Didn’t our Year 4 King’s Ely Junior pupils look the part for their Tudor Day!
The children arrived at the Morbey Hall to find Henry VIII had made his way into school. What followed was a day packed full of Tudor-themed learning, fun and frolics…
Rachel Axten-Higgs, who is one of our Year 4 Teachers, said: “King Henry VIII told us all off for sitting down in his presence, before reminding us how we should address a King! He then explained that he could not possibly be King Henry, but that he was playing a role. Just before breaktime, the children took part in a quiz and King Henry was very impressed with the high scores. After break, we heard about some Tudor cures for illnesses, including one involving a cat’s tail! We also learned about Tudor schools and how we probably would not have enjoyed it as much as we enjoy our modern school today.
“After lunch, we had time for some questions and answers and then the sports began! We were introduced to the peasant sport of ‘foot wrestling’ which brought about a lot of laughs! Two competitors had to face each other, stand on one leg, and try to get their opponent to put their other foot down on the ground. No kicking or stamping was allowed. Callum was particularly good at this sport and remained in position for a while, taking on different opponents. A highlight was when Mr Bramley and Mr James faced off against each other!
“Our next activity, and highlight of the day for many, was the jousting tournament. Teams had to compete against each other to collect rings from the posts on their lances, whilst riding a horse (albeit a hobby horse!). Two girls’ teams raced head-to-head and the winning team made it through to the final. Two boys’ teams raced head-to-head and then the winning team played against the winning girls’ team. This resulted in a victory for the girls! The afternoon ended with the staff making a team to joust against the winning team. This was not competitive in the least. It also resulted in a victory for the staff!
“So much fun was had and a great deal of history learning took place. King Henry finished by giving each child a Tudor coin to keep to remember the fun of the day. The children were brilliantly behaved and so interested in everything on offer. We were all were incredibly proud of them as King Henry said that he enjoyed teaching such an interested and well-behaved group of children.”
Well done Year 4 – it looks like you had a lot of fun!