Y4: Roman Army Training Camp!

Year 4 swapped the classroom for the playground this week as we travelled back nearly 2,000 years to discover just what made the Roman army such a powerful fighting force!

As part of our history enquiry into the Roman invasion of Britain, we wanted to find out why the Roman army was so successful. What better way to investigate than by becoming Roman soldiers ourselves?

We began as a rather disorganised Celtic army, attempting to form groups, line up and follow instructions. It was chaos! We quickly discovered that an army without organisation or discipline might struggle on the battlefield.

It was then time to become Roman legionaries! Working in small units, the children learnt to march in formation, turn together and respond instantly to commands. As the orders came thick and fast, they soon realised just how much concentration, teamwork and discipline was needed to keep their legion moving as one.

Finally, we learnt about one of the Romans' most famous battle tactics: the testudo, or tortoise formation. Using imaginary shields, the children worked together to protect themselves from incoming arrows before advancing, retreating and preparing for battle. Some of our formations were seriously impressive!

Throughout the afternoon, we stopped to discuss why these tactics made the Roman army so effective. The children made some brilliant observations about the importance of training, discipline and working together rather than fighting as individuals.

A fantastic afternoon of active history learning, with plenty of laughter along the way. Well done, Year 4! I think the Roman generals would have been very impressed with their newest recruits!