Pupils get hands on in Ancient Egyptian burial workshop 

Junior School pupils took part in a fascinating Egyptian workshop where they prepared an artificial corpse for an ancient burial ceremony.

Year Five pupils at Bradford Grammar Junior School took part in a range of activities as they stepped back in time to help an ancient Egyptian embalmer – a character played by Matthew Bellwood, a Leeds based writer and storyteller with a wealth of experience of working with children and young people.

Matthew, who has performed at drama festivals in Canada, Germany and New Zealand as well as throughout the UK, was not short of assistance. Eager pupils were soon put to work cleaning the artificial corpse, removing organs, stuffing the body, replacing eyes and carefully placing amulets between layers of bandages. Pupils heard that, to protect the body and spirit, magical spells from the book of the dead were read aloud. The mummy was then placed in its coffin for the burial ceremony.

Kerry Howes, Junior School Headmistress, said: “Matthew is a master storyteller and certainly brought history to life for the pupils and staff. The workshop took us all back thousands of years.

“The fun the children have with visiting storytellers is plain to see. They are exhilarated and enthused. It’s is wonderful to see them so engrossed in their learning.”

Matthew Bellwood said: “The workshop is a practical, hands-on way for the children to learn about another culture and to explore the beliefs and traditions of people who lived thousands of years ago. The pupils at Bradford Grammar have been brilliant to work with – eager to join in and full of curiosity.

“I was really impressed with how much they already knew and how keen they were to learn more. It’s great to see young people so enthused about history. I hope that the workshop has helped to support their understanding of this amazing culture and I’m sure that their energy and excitement will result in some brilliant responses back in the classroom”.