Today Year 5 and 6 went on a school trip to the Ragged School Museum in Mile End.
Coming to school
In the playground when we first got to school, everybody was talking excitedly about the school trip and about their VIctorian costumes they had chosen to wear (we all had to dress up as ragged children). Some children had dirt on their faces and ripped clothes. Lots of children had flat caps or hats. We were all ready for the incredible day ahead of us!
Getting there
We got the Northern Line to Bank and then got the DLR to Limehouse. Getting there was fun! We played Chinese whispers on the train and Francesca and Maia played a telepathy game with Miss Watson as well during the journey.
Warehouse
The building used to be a warehouse. As it was near a canal, it was easy to transport goods to and from it. The journey was much smoother than travelling by car or lorry. The building carried goods in the olden days such as lime juice.
The lesson
We had a lesson at the ragged school museum with a teacher called Miss Paul. At the beginning of the lesson, she made us stand up and say good morning Miss Paul. She then checked our hands to see if they were clean and when she tapped her cane on the table and said over we had to turn our hands so she could see our palms. Francesca was called a boy and had to sit in the boys half and we were separated into boys and girls. Betty also had to sit with the boys because she was speaking too much. The desks were wooden and so were the benches. They were uncomfortable and hard. We were made to sit with our hands on our laps, straight and without our hands on the desks. We wrote on slates with a tiny chalk stick and a ragged cloth wiped off our mistakes. We were trembling and nervous the whole time!
Punishments
As punishments, there were finger stops and a cane, there was also a back straightener. The finger stop was to stop people fidgeting, the cane to hit children who were naughty and the back straightener to stop people leaning on the desks and to give them good posture. Mia from Year 6 got to try the finger stops.
The teacher was so strict and scary: the lesson felt nearly real!
The Building
When we got to the building it looked a lot like a warehouse or a factory.
It had cranes that were used to pick up heavy loads in and out of the building. The bell at the top was used like the bells today—to tell when school started and when it ended.
Dr Bernado
After the warehouse shut down, a man called Dr Bernado bought it to give education to children who couldn’t pay for school. He didn't like beating and only allowed restrictive punishments or the cane if necessary. He wanted to give free breakfast and lunch so he had a donation box that he walked around to rich houses with so that they could give donations. Dr Bernado also started orphanages for children on the street. Two girls who went there had never ever washed so they were afraid of baths!!
Year 5 and 6 would definitely recommend going to the Ragged School Museum. We are all so glad we went on this trip: it was so much fun!