Cotswold school, Kitebrook Preparatory, transported themselves back to medieval times, when they were joined for the day by The Knights of Middle England.

With all the children, staff, and of course the knights (and their horses!), dressed in traditional medieval garb, the school hosted a fun-packed day of living history. Offering a hands-on experience, the children were able to immerse themselves in the activities and culture of the period, while simultaneously enhancing their learning.

The delighted children, who relished diving back into activities after months of national restrictions, spent their day being knights, maidens, friars, jesters, kings and queens, learning fascinating skills, such as jousting, ancient ballista, longbow archery and sword fighting.

Along with the interactive weapons workshops, the pupils were encouraged to touch and try on pieces of armour, chainmail and helmets to understand how it would feel to be a real medieval knight.

Gushing about their experiences, the children said: 

“I loved watching the jousting; it looked so real!”

“It felt like we were really living in the Middle Ages!”

“This day couldn’t get any better!”

Their step back in time culminated in a falconry display and jousting tournament with four knights pitting their skills against each other. Kitebrook parents were invited for the afternoon display, arriving in suitable medieval attire, to also enjoy the school’s historical transformation.

History teacher and organiser Lawrence Wild said: “This level of hands-on learning is wonderful for the children. Our teaching ethos at Kitebrook is to make education as interactive as possible, but turning the school into a time from the past with all the authentic medieval pursuits has been absolutely incredible; an extremely enjoyable day for us all.”