A lesson in Archaeology

Girls in Year 7 had a fantastic opportunity to learn about adolescence in Medieval England this week when they took part in a workshop run by the University of Reading.

The workshop taught the girls what life would have been like for children of the same age as them, growing up in Medieval England. Each girl received a biography of a Medieval teenager telling them whether they lived in the country or the city and what they might have done for a living such as being a servant, an apprentice or working for their own family.. Those that started life in the country were asked whether they wanted to leave the country for the city or stay living at home. They then explored all the possibilities of what might have happened to them, depending on their choices, including what level of poverty they might have experienced and what their life expectancy would have been.  

At the end of the workshop the girls had the opportunity to see and touch a real skeleton of a young Medieval boy. They were told how the boy was discovered and what he may have been like when he was alive. Being able to touch and feel a real skeleton was fascinating for the girls and they came away from the workshop with a greater knowledge of what happened to teenagers in the Medieval period.

Mrs Tinnelly, Head of History said “The workshop was a fantastic way for the girls to really get involved in how young people would have been in Medieval England. Year 7 were engaged with the activities from start to finish. I think the highlight for them was seeing a real life skeleton!”

For more information contact:

Rebecca Conroy, Senior Marketing Executive, Pipers Corner School. Telephone 01494 719850 or email [email protected] | www.facebook.com/PipersCornerSchool | @PipersCornerSch