Taking 230 pupils on a visit to an authentic Tudor house looked like a tricky undertaking, so teachers at Cippenham Junior School in Slough decided to bring a 16th-century house to them - in bits.

Years 5 and 6 pupils spent a day building a one-third scale model of a Tudor house large enough for 50 children to sit in, using 96 timbers.

They worked in teams with the Build a Tudor House company to mark, tile and thatch the home and make it as authentic as possible.

Carol-Ann Heeks, deputy head at Cippenham, said: “We have been doing a project on the Tudors all term, the children have learnt all about Tudor houses and made models and drawings of them.

“In the past we might have taken them to Hampton Court Palace, but that kind of trip with the number of children we have costs quite a bit.

“We also wanted something that the children could actively participate in.

“This was brilliant; the chap came in over four days and took two classes each day.

“He had timbers, pegs, tools to make pegs and wattle and daub.

“The children helped to put together the timber frame. They also made wattle and daub panels and did some tiling and thatching.” HW.