Haffydown took a fascinating step back in time when we spent the day as poor children at the British Schools Museum in Hitchin. We experienced what life was like in a Lancasterian school using the Monitorial method (an early system of education developed by Joseph Lancaster in the early 1800s).
Joseph Lancaster believed that every child should have access to learning, even if there weren’t enough teachers to go around. His clever idea was to use older or more advanced pupils, known as monitors, to help teach the younger children. This meant lessons were highly structured, and everyone had to listen, respond and behave impeccably… something we discovered was easier said than done!
Dressed in traditional clothing, we stepped into a strict classroom led by a firm (but thankfully kind) schoolmaster. We learned how children were expected to stand, speak and even write, using chalk, slates and sand trays to practise their letters and sums. The children were amazed to see how different education was then and although we knew the cane wasn’t actually used during our visit, we also learned that in real Monitorial classrooms, children could sometimes be shackled as punishment. That made us very grateful for our modern schools!
We explored what children’s lives were like before they had the chance to go to school. We learnt that one of the local jobs in Hitchin was straw plaiting and this was sometimes a job for children as young as 3! We sat under our desks to try and plait wool in an attempt to understand the cramped and uncomfortable conditions the children were plaiting straw in. While this was fun for a few minutes… we were glad to get back to our normal lessons!
Throughout the day, everyone threw themselves into the experience, taking on the roles of monitors and pupils, repeating lessons, chanting times tables and demonstrating their best handwriting. It was a wonderful and memorable trip that brought our history learning to life. The children came away with a deep appreciation of how far education has come — and a new respect for the pupils of Joseph Lancaster’s time.
Back in school, our learning didn’t stop there. The children have continued exploring Victorian education through their home learning, producing some truly incredible work. We have seen detailed 3D models of Lancasterian classrooms, thoughtful written pieces, and beautiful artwork inspired by our trip brought in as home learning.
