Ufton Court Year 4 Trip

On Friday 15th November, Year 4 pupils went to Ufton Court in Reading, to learn more about their history topic on the Impact of the Roman Empire on Britain. Pupils took part in a range of exciting ‘hands on’ activities, which enabled them to learn more about the Romans in a more fun and practical way. The day consisted of three activities:

·         Military Manoeuvres

·         Roman Skills

·         Roman artefacts

During the 'Military Manoeuvres' task, pupils learned about the Roman army - how they trained hard and became the largest and meanest fighting force in the ancient world. Pupils had great fun practising the different army formations:

·         The Wedge – a triangular formation, with the ‘tip’ used to crack open enemy lines;

·         The Tortoise (Testudo – a strong tight formation used for protecting soldiers from flying arrows and bricks);

·         The Orb – a defensive position in the shape of a circle used to protect officers or leaders.

Pupils took this session very seriously and passed their training with flying colours! They even took part in a mini battle afterwards!

In addition to this, they tried their hand at some important Roman skills such as weaving, looming, building and lighting a fire with a flint. Furthermore, pupils had a chance to look at some Roman artefacts and played a guessing game to try and work out what the object might have been used for. Pupils impressed the Ufton Court staff with the great knowledge they had already gained in lessons. Back in class, pupils wrote detailed recounts of their experience at Ufton Court. They thoroughly enjoyed this invaluable experience, whilst gaining a good knowledge and understanding of some key aspects of the Roman way of life.