July 6, 2011 3.18 pm This story is over 152 months old

School children bring Romans back to life

Lincoln Romans: A group of Year Three pupils worked on a project to understand life as a Lincoln Roman soldier.
Pupils from Manor Leas Junior School giving their documentary about the Romans to Michele Sims (left), from the Visitor Information Centre, and Kerry Powell (right), from The Collection.

Manor Leas Junior School pupils today presented their documentary about life as a Lincoln Roman to The Collection and Visitor Information Centre (VIC).

Year Three pupils worked with former BBC radio producer and owner of Soundschool, Mike Cartwright, to make a 20 minute radio documentary about their project.

Headteacher James Greenwood said he decided to get Cartwright involved in the project because it helps to bring the “learning experience to life and helps pupils remember what they have been studying”.

In order to learn more about the Roman way of life, pupils became Roman legions and used the school playing field as a place to re-enact the invasion of Britain.

The children also found out that the Romans invented roads, tourism and possibly the X Factor.

Cartwright said that after this discovery, Year Three “wrote and performed a Roman version of the X Factor, featuring contenders who were trying to get past the judges and into the army.”

The project took about a week to complete. The documentary will be used by the visitor information centre and could also be used at The Collection.

Lincoln VIC Manager Michele Sims called the CD that the pupils have created “fun and enjoyable”.

Sims added: “The city has a wealth of Roman history, which is one of its attributes in terms of visitor attractions […] We are really pleased that the children enjoyed their project about the Romans in Lincoln.”