Staff and pupils at a village school stepped back 100 years for a special heritage day.

The school in Kirkby Fleetham, near Northallerton, took part in the event through the wider Kirkby Fleetham with Great Fencote Commemorative Garden Space Project, which has been worked on over the last 18 months.

The aim of the heritage day was to engage pupils with the history of the community in an immersive and interactive way.

Children were invited to dress up in replica costumes and find out about what school life was like in Victorian times. Pupils practised their copperplate handwriting on replica slates and found out about the curriculum, learning for girls and boys, discipline and punishment. Porridge was served at break with many pupils wanting “more”.

As part of the day, pupils interviewed local residents Ruth Kettlewell and Jim Wilson, who agreed to share with pupils their memories of attending the school and growing up in the village in the 1940s and 50s.

The wider community was invited to a “Mini Museum” held at the end of the day, and more than 50 attendees including parents, carers and residents turned out.

Deputy headteacher Kirsti-Anna Hume said: "This has been a truly enriching experience for children, parents and our wider community. Our school was transformed into the most fascinating museum for the day and it was a delight to open our doors and share the rich and varied history of our special school.

"The highlight for the children was meeting former pupils and comparing their experiences past and present. This was most certainly a memorable day to go down in history."

Year six pupil Esmé Fearnley said: "I thought the day was very intriguing and it was lovely to find out about the history of our school. My favourite part of the day was interviewing the past pupils Ruth and Jim, and also setting up our museum."

Project lead and heritage consultant Virginia Arrowsmith, along with project team Alison Booth, Amanda Peirson, and Kate Smith, thanked Ms Hume and staff for their support, North Yorkshire County Record Office, who aided the archival research and loan of the slates, and Wensleydale Railway for sharing the costumes. Kirkby Fleetham History Group, which provided artefacts and research on three families buried at St Andrew's churchyard in Great Fencote for the “History Detectives” session, was also thanked.