Hundreds of Horndean Technology College school children charge at each other in 1066 Battle of Hastings re-enactment

Armed with homemade shields and dressed in costume, the entire Year 7 group of roughly 250 pupils from Horndean Technology College – orchestrated by their history teachers – recreated one of Britain’s most famous battles.

Dramatic deaths, epic charges and flying arrows represented by squashy balls were all included.

Julie Summerfield, Headteacher at Horndean Technology College in Barton Cross, said the children enjoyed it so much you could hear the noise from the battle from the inside the school.

She said: ‘They absolutely loved it. I think the teachers enjoyed it as much as the children did.

‘I stood there from when it started and they totally re-enacted it how it happened.

‘They loved making the shields, they brought them in all week and you were seeing them every day and they were so proud of it.’

Usually, the annual re-enactment would take place during a residential week in Battle in East Sussex – where the famous 1066 battle took place – but due to Covid restrictions, it took place on the school field.

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Mrs Summerfield said not only did the pupils learn history by taking part in the event on Wednesday, they got the social interaction they desperately needed.

‘At the same time they learnt live history, they also made friends along the way,’ she said.

‘It’s one of the reasons why we do it, to bring that social interaction.

‘They would have come from lots of different schools and it was a way for them to get to know each other and have fun with history.’