Back in Time for School

Starting in 1895, 15 pupils and three teachers are fast-forwarded through 100 years of education, as they explore what schools taught and the way they were taught it, reflecting the transformation in Britain far beyond the school gates. From a time when only 4 percent of children went to secondary school, these pupils form part of the lucky few, as they get to grips with their Victorian classroom. Strict rules, formality and ceremony inform the Victorian school day, a world away from the pupils' modern-day experiences. The children and teachers explore scientific revolution, changing women's roles, school dinners, punishments, housewifery for girls and 1904 Empire Day.

Starting in 1918 in the shadow of the First World War, pupils discover that inter-war schooling bears similarities to their experiences in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

The Second World War is over, and with it comes a revolution in education - the tripartite system, splitting children into one of three schools: grammars, secondary moderns and technical schools.

In the swinging 60s, the class experience bricklaying, typing, cooking and even a spot of Mini driving.

The class enters the experimental 1970s. They rewrite the rule book and learn weird and wonderful lessons as the free spirit of the era creeps into the classroom.

The class embrace the new world of the 1980s. With robots, early computers and synths, the kids get to grips with Britain's new high-tech future.

The pupils and teachers arrive in their final time-travelling decade, the 1990s, ready to embrace girl power, Brit pop, Oasis and Blur, Mr Blobby and the Gladiators.

Our class return for one final adventure. Reflecting on the past 100 years, they venture beyond, into a future filled with virtual classrooms and artificial intelligence.