Lightwater Village pupils step back in time

Pupils at a Surrey school were banned from smiling and had to write ‘lines’ agreeing to respect their teacher.

But it was all done in fun because the children of Lightwater Village School’s Year 2 enjoyed a trip back to the past when they journeyed to Edwardian times for the day.

Pupils were dressed in clothes from the period and teachers were extra-strict, not allowing smiles and ensuring the children wrote: “I will respect my teacher and not talk over her”, 20 times in traditional old-school fashion.

“Everyone had a lovely time, but I think they found the  discipline was very different. The costumes were wonderful, but I think we all agreed that it would not be great to wear that style of clothing all the time. The children had a lovely day and events like this really bring history to life for us all,” said Sarah Evans, Head Teacher for the Lightwater Federation of Schools.

As part of the event they were taken on a “trip” to the coast by rail, but warned that if they lost their train tickets they would not be taking part in the fun and games which included decorating plates, making bathing machines and drawing portraits.

Time on “the beach” was also in order, along with a  Punch and Judy Show, before they cooled off in a paddling pool as the weather was glorious. The pupils also enjoyed an Edwardian picnic before heading to play games on the field - where they found the Edwardian clothes made life difficult.

Lightwater Village School is a member of the multi-academy GLF Trust and caters for pupils from the age of four to seven-years-old.