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Year 13 History students had a fascinating trip to the National Archives in October. Among the comments by our students on the way home, ‘Inspirational’ was the word most frequently involved. The students spent two hours in an intensive workshop being introduced to the National Archives and having access to the documents held there. First, we pitted our skills against 16th Century handwriting with varying degrees of success before being allowed to handle the documents themselves.  

Being able to touch and engage with History is an interesting and illuminating way not usually possible in the classroom. The educator running our sessions was enormously impressed with our students and their ‘mature handling’ of such precious objects and their ‘thorough engagement and questioning’ of her.  

The climax of the day certainly came when we were shown the letter sent from Elizabeth I to her sister Mary I begging for her life in the Tower of London; valued at £20 million. Our students were amazed to be so close to such valuable History; although I was terrified when they were allowed photographs if our insurance covered accidental flash damage of a National Treasure. A thoroughly fantastic, and as our students so eloquently captured it, ‘inspirational’ trip.