Dear Parents

As you will be aware, on Friday 17^th November, Year 5 will be visiting Quarry Bank Mill to enjoy a morning of role play based on the life of a poor Victorian child. Through role play, the children will experience the home life of a poor Victorian child, the dangers of having to work in a mill, and the general life of a Victorian apprentice, all brought to vivid life by costumed rangers and heritage volunteers.

As our visit will involve the children dressing up as poor Victorian children, I have decided to try and provide you with some details and advice with regards to your child’s costume for the day. Obviously with it being winter, the children will be required to wear a suitable coat, appropriate footwear and it is advisable to wear additional layers underneath their costume so as to keep warm.

With regards to the actual costume, I have tried to keep the brief as simple as possible, so that hopefully you will be able to fashion a costume out of items you may already have and to keep any costs to an absolute minimum. All of the children will be dressed the same, as a Victorian child worker, and this outfit generally consists of ruggedly cut bottoms off some brown or grey trousers, a scruffy white shirt and possibly an old looking waistcoat. I have told the children they can even put some dirt or brown/black face paint on their face and hands to make it look like they’ve been hard at work and can also accessorise with a flat cap. If the girls would like to wear a female version of this outfit, using an old and tattered looking dress, that is absolutely fine too.

Ultimately, the costume aspect to this trip is only a small part which I hope allows the children to immerse themselves in the experience. Thank you in advance for all of your help and support with providing the children with their costumes for the trip; I am really looking forward to seeing them dressed up and I know it will only add to the sense of excitement this experience will give them.

Kind regards,

Mrs Thomas