Last week, Year 2 stepped back in time to 1666 during a thrilling and immersive Great Fire of London workshop. Dressed in costumes, the children found themselves in the bustling streets of Pudding Lane, taking on roles such as shopkeepers, bakers, architects, rat catchers, a town crier, the Lord Mayor and Samuel Pepys.

They began by exploring daily life in 17th-century London, discovering how tightly packed wooden houses and narrow, dimly lit streets made the city vulnerable to fire. To bring the scene to life, the children created a lively market full of food and candle sellers, while the town crier rang her bell to mark the start and end of the day and the rat catcher collected payment from the Lord Mayor for his work.

The children then learnt about the strict fire-safety laws of the time, households had to extinguish fires at night, candles were blown out before bed, and flour was stored away from flames. These precautions highlighted just how fragile life was in 1666.

They discovered how the disaster began: in the early hours of 2 September, flour dust in Thomas Farriner's bakery ignited when the fire was not properly put out, sparking a blaze that quickly spread. The children reenacted the chaos as the town crier rushed through the streets raising the alarm, and families fled across rooftops.

Year 2 also explored how Londoners responded to the fire. They acted out Samuel Pepys burying treasured possessions, sailors demolishing houses to create firebreaks, and formed a human chain to pass water buckets, experiencing first-hand the community's desperate attempts to stop the flames.

By 5 September, the fire was finally under control, leaving Pudding Lane and much of London in ruins. The children learnt that landmarks such as St Paul's Cathedral were destroyed, and thousands were left homeless.

This highly engaging workshop brought the Great Fire of London vividly to life, giving Year 2 a powerful understanding of this important historical event and the timeline of how it unfolded.