A primary school got a taste of Tudor times today as historians whisked pupils back 500 years with lessons in dancing and calligraphy.

Students and staff at Cherry Tree primary school dressed up for the occasion, greeting visitors from the Dance Back in Time group, Bushey Museum and Letchworth Museum.

Although quickly mastering the dance moves and calligraphy, many students were left baffled with everyday objects that bear little resemblance to their modern equivalents.

Sam Haynes, from Year 5 said: “The most unusual thing was the pee pot. We thought it was something you cooked with."

Classmate Nikita Joshua added: “We all thought it smelled really nice and then the teacher told us what it was and we all went eugh!”

Alongside the lessons, students were taught to temporarily swap everyday phrases with Tudor ones leading to all round giggles as pupils put on accents to ask “can I go to the privy?”

History co-ordinator Rowena Yarnold said the day was organised to raise the profile of history in a school.

She said: “The children already show a joy of history especially with the more active lessons. They have been doing calligraphy, making lavender bags and looking at Tudor toys and objects. With the objects they have been inspecting them and finding out what they were used for and what it tells us about Tudor life.”