Year Three pupils from West Jesmond Primary School have ended their studies on Egyptians with a parade.

A procession of around 90 students marched around the school grounds, with parents observing from the courtyard. The individual costumes adorned by the children were set as homework over half term with the majority of girls dressing as Cleopatra and the boys as Pharaohs. Ursula in Year Three, told JesmondLocal: “I felt a bit nervous because Year Four was watching us but in the end the parade was so much fun.”

Throughout the school term the pupils experienced the delights of Egypt. Learning the Hieroglyphic alphabet, for example, they we given Egyptian codes that they had to break and eventually went on to produce their own names. Hannah from Y3GJ commented: “It was quite hard at first but I really enjoyed it in the end.”

The students also got creative, having the opportunity to make Canopic jars and scarab beetles out of clay along with Egyptian jewellery, which they later got to keep. The Egyptian project effectively combined both fun and education, as the pupils visited the Hancock museum only days before the parade, with Nat commenting that “in the museum we were shown the parts of the mummy, it was really interesting and great fun.”

The Egyptian project served as a platform to display the pupils’ hard work and founded knowledge, turning the classrooms into ‘Egyptian expeditions’ where students work such as death masks, paintings of the Gods and the Hieroglyphic alphabet was widely displayed on the walls, providing parents from both year two and three ample viewing opportunity after the parade.

“It has been my favourite topic of all year,” said Ursula, “and I look forward to learning more.”