What a wonderful first week back for Year 2 pupils! We kick-started our Towers, Tunnels and Turrets topic for this half term with an introduction to the different types of people who would be found in a castle and learned about the development of castle designs. Yesterday all Year 2 pupils made preparations for a royal class banquet used to inspire and captivate their imagination. Pupils made special hats, decorative place mats and rather professional looking bread loaves! Having learnt about traditional medieval music, pupils practised their courtly dancing ready to perform during the banquet.

All Lords and Ladies in each class stood to welcome their King and Queen and were only allowed to sit down at the banqueting tables when they were given permission to do so. Medieval music was played to set the mood. The food served included delicious rustic looking bread with jam, a selection of grapes, cheese cubes, blackcurrant juice to replicate mead for the Lords and Ladies but wine for the King and Queen in goblets. The guests were impressed with their feast and the King and Queen equally impressed with the table manners of their invited guests. Following the banquet, the entertainment included a hilarious pair of clumsy jesters who tried their hardest to throw and catch scarves! Dancing groups performed their graceful routines and the King proudly knighted a selection of the guests with a sword.

Thank you for being such amazing Year 2 pupils this week, you have worked very hard and made our class banquets memorable.

Can you remember which famous King composed the piece of music called Greensleeves?

Was medieval dancing slow and graceful or fast and energetic?

Why did the butler taste the food before the King and Queen ate it?

Is a royal banquet held in the kitchen, great hall or chapel?