Year 2 pupils from Lightwoods Primary Academy stepped back in time during a visit to the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, exploring how life in their local community has changed over the years.
The visit formed part of the Academy’s Excite, Explore, Excel (E3L) curriculum, which is delivered across all primary schools within Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust. The programme is designed to encourage curiosity, make meaningful connections between subjects and help pupils understand how their learning related to the world around them.
As part of their E3L topic ‘Then and Now’, pupils have been learning about their local area, exploring its history and geographical features. They also compared their own school experiences to those of children in other eras, considering how education and everyday life have changed over time. The museum visit brought these lessons to life, giving pupils the opportunity to see aspects of the past first-hand and identify features that reflect the Black Country’s rich industrial heritage.
Set across 29 acres, the Black Country Living Museum tells the story of one of Britain’s earliest industrialised landscapes. Through reconstructed shops, houses and industrial buildings, the open-air museum offers an insight into how people lived and worked, and how industry shaped the region’s communities.
School Associate Principal, John Ashton, said: “One of the things we want for our children is for them to leave the classroom with more questions than what they came in with. You can talk to children about what life was like generations ago, but there is something quite special about being able to see it for yourselves and imagine what everyday life might have been like.
“Visits like this make history real for our pupils. They help children understand that the streets, buildings and communities they know today all have their own stories to tell and make their own unique discoveries. These are the experience that stay with children long after they leave us.”
The visit reflected Lightwoods Primary Academy’s commitment to providing pupils with a rich and engaging education, where learning is brought to life through experiences beyond the classroom. By giving children the opportunity to explore their local history first-hand, the Academy helps them develop a deeper understanding of the world around them and builds on the curiosity and enthusiasm for learning that underpin its approach to teaching.
