Year 5 Head to Hampton Court For Some Answers

Have you ever wondered if King Henry VIII had other interests such as music? Or if he was a fair king? Perhaps there is debate as to whether he really did change the course of religion or was he just a dashing energetic king?  How close was Hampton Court Palace to the River Thames in order to access water? Well, Year 5 had been wondering this too, so they went on a trip to Hampton Court Palace to see if they could find out these answers and more.

Each class had a turn investigating these concerns around King Henry. In groups, they were given primary and secondary sources of evidence to read, view and debate and then had to decide on an answer to their particular question. It was fascinating listening to their debating skills and seeing them use the different sources of evidence to decide upon the given queries. When they were not debating these issues, both classes had the opportunity to walk around the palace exploring a number of areas. They found  the kitchens, which were tasked with feeding between 800 and 1000 people on a daily basis, to be fascinating as they learnt about how meat was roasted over an open fire, amongst many other things. They also explored the beautiful chapel upstairs and downstairs as well as seeing the first ever tennis court and of course The Great Hall with its beautiful tapestries. The children were enchanted with the ceilings at the palace as every room had different features to look out for such as the eavesdroppers in the Great Hall. They even had a chance to debate some issues in the council chamber, where King Henry and his Privy Council made some of the biggest decisions in English History.