Reepham pupils step back in time

Emma KnightsPupils stepped back through the centuries to the time of Charles I as they were asked to vote for whether the king should be executed or exiled.It was all part of a special history event at Reepham High School where 80 year eight students spent the morning finding out about Charles I and his conflicts with parliament that led to civil war and his eventual execution.Emma Knights

Pupils stepped back through the centuries to the time of Charles I as they were asked to vote for whether the king should be executed or exiled.

It was all part of a special history event at Reepham High School where 80 year eight students spent the morning finding out about Charles I and his conflicts with parliament that led to civil war and his eventual execution.

But instead of learning from text books, the youngsters watched actors performing the roles of Charles I, his wife Queen Henrietta Maria and parliamentarian Oliver Cromwell.

Afterwards the students were given the chance to rewrite history when they were asked to vote on whether Charles I should be exiled or executed.

While 21 of the pupils wanted Charles I to be exiled, 59 voted in favour of his execution.

Charley Dunton, 13, said: 'I really enjoyed the morning and I learned a lot. I think I learned more than I would have done from just reading a book. I voted for Charles I to be exiled because I did not think it would be very nice for his family if he was executed.'

Twelve-year-old James Turner, who voted for Charles I to be executed, said: 'It was a really good event and it helped you to think a bit more about history.'

The event was organised by Angela Crawley who used to be a geography and history teacher at Reepham High, and who has recently set up a small business called Decisionmakers that takes actors to schools to bring to life key events from the past and also focuses on modern day environmental issues.

Friday's event at Reepham was the first session Mrs Crawley has done with Decisionmakers. She has also created history sessions about the first world war and Henry VIII, and geography sessions that look at the impact of things such as wind turbines and supermarkets.

t For more information on the courses email admin@decision-makers.co.uk