A GROUP of schoolgirls swapped the comforts of modern education for the harsh realities of the past when they experienced life in a Victorian school.

Pupils at Park School for Girls, in Cranbrook, visited the Ragged School museum in Bow, which recreates life in 19th century education, as part of a history project.

During the day, enthuisastic children dressed up in authentic Victorain costume, and were taught reading, writing and maths by a fiercely strict Victorian teacher, who told them: “The only things you may do without my permission are breathe and blink.”

While at the museum, the children also learnt about domestic life for the poor in London’s East End, with the girls finding about about how people took baths, did their laundry and kept their houses clean.

The visit was followed in the afternoon by a trip to the nearby Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, where pupils viewed exhibits on toys, clothes and child care throughout history.

The eager youngsters were kept busy drawing portraits while they were there, and even found time to fit in a Punch and Judy show.

The next trip on the cards for pupils is a visit to Epping Forest as part of their geography studies, followed by the school’s annual visit to Legoland in July.