Earlier this month, 130 of our Year 8 students from across 10 Meridian Trust schools visited Chester House Estate as part of our History Enrichment Programme.
The students took part in their annual Archaeological Field School alongside archaeologists from the University of Leicester. Whilst the students were visiting, the archaeologists were excavating the Roman town of Irchester, which is in the grounds of Chester House Estate. While the students were visiting, the team were excavating a Roman cemetery, buildings and a road.
The students then had the opportunity to get their hands dirty! With each group working closely with a lead archaeologist, students were able to take part in a range of hands-on activities. This included washing and identifying finds and analysing their discoveries in the laboratory. The students were then able to see how artefacts are conserved in the state-of-the-art archaeological resource centre, and learned how archaeologists use clues in the landscape to help them uncover the past.
Each of the students had a fantastic time learning about the past, using different approaches to those they would typically use in the classroom. They all loved discovering finds as they emerged from the ground, such as 2,000 year old bones and pottery. Additionally, they also enjoyed examining their finds under the microscope and learning more about what environmental remains can tell us about the past.
Both students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the day, saying: “it was great to see the students really engaged throughout the whole day and exposed to the real work of archaeologists” and that “seeing history in action outside of the classroom can get them to think about the sorts of careers that history might lead to.”
We are already looking forward to being involved next year, where the archaeologists hope to open up new areas of the town for excavation!
