Year 8 History students had an engaging and stimulating trip to Gressenhall Workhouse museum in June. The students worked on a rotation of four activities with costumed actors in period character, historians and museums staff to consider the question of ‘how bad was the workhouse?’ This enquiry forms the basis of our curriculum work in school and brought to life real sources and people we have used in our local history study to reveal about life in the Workhouse. Our students were an absolute credit to the Academy; with all staff commenting on how enthused and engaged they were with the characters, their stories and the overall evaluation of the workhouse system they were being asked to judge. Students followed in the footsteps of workhouse ‘inmates’ entering through the same door as they themselves would have had to, knocking the same knocker as they went and trying their hands at the same work as inmates (Oakum picking and laundry). Our students enjoyed their day with many commenting on how much they loved the costumed characters and how it brought History to life for them. Gressenhall also kindly gave each student a free return ticket. A thoroughly enjoyable trip; made more so by our wonderful students.