As part of their studies, GCSE History students in Year 10 have visited The Workhouse, Courthouse and Prison Museum in Ripon for an in-depth exploration of 18th and 19th century Crime and Punishment conditions.

Students were able to experience the unforgiving circumstances that individuals of the era were made subject to. This realistic setting gave students an insight into what poverty once meant and how harsh life was for the poor who were struggling to survive. Labourers entering the workhouses in the 18th century soon realised that they would only ever be leaving in a coffin – a poignant thought that haunts the rooms of the museum and the visitors that enter.

Our students also observed the Georgian Courthouse, and pupils soon became engrossed in a role-play court case scenario in the Court Room, which helped to further their understanding of crime and punishment and the brutality of sentencing during this time.

A look around the Prison and Police Museum enabled students to comprehend the history of policing and how common procedures have changed over the years. During the visit students were able to try on police uniforms, sit in a prison cell as an inmate, and imagine the terror of being strapped into a restraint chair or hung in chains!

This trip was hugely beneficial for our Year 10 Historians as it helped them to develop a much deeper understanding of their GCSE topic, which will revolve around crime and sentencing.

Being able to learn about the past through experience is an effective waypf learning to compare. This leads to more constructive and in depth written work which contrast the past with the present.