METHODS of corporal punishment made a brief return to the curriculum at St Bridget's RC Primary School last week, when year five pupils took a step back in time for a history lesson with a difference.

As part of their studies, the class borrowed Victorian costume and artefacts from Warrington Museum to recreate a traditional school day of the time.

And when the bell rang to start the day, slates and chalk were handed out, as were warnings about the severity of punishment for the slightest breach of the new school rules.

Despite a fascinating day, the children were keen to swap their Victorian clothes for their trainers and bid farewell to traditional forms of discipline like the cane and finger stocks.