Case study: An immersive royal visit at Windsor Castle

Our visit to Windsor Castle was enriching and rewarding for our Year 1 class. It was an ideal setting for our students to explore learning outside of the classroom and it really brought the curriculum to life.

It especially complemented and built on our history lessons this past year as we had learnt about monarchs from the past including Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II. It was an amazing opportunity for our students to find out more about these figures in the castle where they had all once lived. 

In the castle’s Learning Centre, we took part in a workshop called ‘Meet the Monarch’, which was led by Royal Collection Trust learning officers and really fascinated the children. They learned all about the King’s childhood, family and hobbies, as well as his royal duties.

The children particularly enjoyed dressing up and role-playing the different responsibilities carried out by the King, including pretending to knight each other with a replica sword. The workshop also reinforced what the children had learned about British values and helped them to understand more about the rule of law. It even supported their geography studies where they had been learning about the continents, with the group being able to recognise and understand more about the Commonwealth.

The Learning Centre was a great teaching space for us to use for the workshops and we also made use of the lunch room.

As we entered into the castle grounds, it was amazing for the pupils to see the Round Tower with the Union Flag flying high above. Many of the children particularly enjoyed seeing the guards marching through the castle grounds.

A real highlight was exploring the State Apartments inside the castle, the children were astounded by the size and detail of each and every room.

It was especially amazing to see St George’s Hall, with its high, vaulted ceiling and the impressive displays of armour and weaponry.

They stared in awe and wonder at the many portraits of past monarchs and came back to the classroom buzzing with facts and questions that they wanted to explore further.

It was also a really special opportunity to see Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, in its centenary year. We were able to see the display of the new miniature books created to mark the anniversary, which included a tiny version of The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

In the Waterloo Chamber, the children could view some of the items from the Dolls’ House up close. These included a tiny grand piano and even miniature Crown Jewels with real diamonds. 

Another highlight was being able to visit St George’s Chapel where the children were able to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II. Here the children also learned about the Order of the Garter and saw the tombs of past monarchs, including Henry VIII and Charles I. 

The visit to Windsor Castle really helped bring the curriculum to life for our children, allowing them to experience the history we had been learning about back at school first-hand.

So, if you are looking for a school trip that supports large chunks of the National Curriculum but also gives the children an awesome day to remember, we’d highly recommend a trip to Windsor Castle. 

Back in the classroom

Visiting Windsor Castle was an excellent opportunity for the children to showcase their learning in history on the Monarchy. The workshop provided an immersive experience which the children had great fun taking part in and the learning was really engaging and fun for all of those who visited on the day. 

They enjoyed dressing up and seeing their learning brought to life which helped back at school, where they were able to recall and remember lots of facts from the day.