Salfords Primary bring sea and sand to the classroom

​​The summer holidays got off to an early start for Year Two pupils at Salfords Primary School in Redhill recently when they enjoyed a trip to the seaside – and went time travelling at the same time.

Year Two pupils at the school have been studying the topic of the seaside in their history and literacy classes, and they had a living lesson as they dressed up in period costume to experience an authentic Victorian day out at the beach.

“Giving children something they can take part in lifts the lessons off the page and makes them so much more fun and memorable,” said teacher Erin Best, who oversaw the project.

“They took part in appropriate period activities, like fossil hunting, Punch and Judy and singing songs from the time – all in Victorian costume, of course – and after we’d talked about things like the transport of the day, and bathing machines, came the real surprise when a real live horse turned up!”.

As with all good holidays, however short, the children were left with plenty of good memories, and Ms Best said they have been quick to incorporate them into the wider curriculum at Salfords, which is just about to celebrate its first anniversary as a member of the GLF Schools multi-academy trust.

“We’ve tried to incorporate it as much as possible,” Ms Best explained. 

“We’ve studied coastlines in geography and also used the topic as an inspiration in our art class, and just to show it’s just not just about the Victorian era, we’ve had a lighthouse keeper send us a video we’re using in maths classes, and the children will be designing and making their own working lighthouses too. There’s been a lot in the news recently about children going on holiday in term time – this exercise seemed to satisfy both parties!”.