CHILDREN from King’s St Albans school in Worcester have been learning about education in years gone by.

During a visit to the Black Country Museum they took a peek inside St James School in Dudley.

The school was built in 1842 for at a cost of £490 and moved to the museum in 1991.

“When we walked in the teacher said ‘ladies first’ so the girls sat down and then the boys,” said 10-year-old Olivia Harris, a pupil at the school.

“We had to write our names on slates with curly letters because that is how they wrote in Victorian times.”

The children chanted their tables and attempted to say the alphabet backwards.

The visit to the Black Country Museum was part of the children’s history studies and demonstrated how tough life was for many children during the Victorian era.

Teacher Chris Woodcock said: “The visit really brought history to life.

“The children returned home glad to live in their modern world and for the enormous changes to schooling over the years and grateful for the fun and variety they enjoy at King’s St Alban’s.”