PUPILS went back in time when they enjoyed a Victorian school day.

The children dressed in 19th century outfits and became anything from poor chimney sweeps to wealthy toffs with canes and top hats.

They did their school work using slates and chalk, surrounded by maps of the British Empire.

The year five class at High Lawn Primary School also put together a time capsule filled with items from the early 21st century.

The pupils buried them in the school’s garden, to be opened in 50 years’ time.

Teacher Rachel Breackell said: “The children really enjoyed themselves. They used their imaginations and came in a variety of outfits to show the different classes from that time.

“One boy came in a top hat and another came as a chimney sweep. We covered the white board to make it look like a blackboard. The children sat at individual desks and used slates and chalk to do their lessons.

“There were maps put up on the walls of the British Empire and reading and writing boards with the alphabet.”

In the afternoon the pupils then suggested items to put into a time capsule to define life in 2013.

Ms Breackell said: “They considered what they would enjoy reading about their own history and chose items that identified the time now, such as food wrappers, and objects that won’t be around in 50 years’ time, such as compact discs.

“The idea is that pupils in 2063 will dig up the time machine and see how children today lived.”