AN ARMY of settlers took over a school last week as students became experts in survival skills.
Geography lessons were brought to life in spectacular style for Year 3 pupils learning the "village settlers" topic at The Weald Primary School in Beare Green.
Representatives from the Surrey Wildlife Trust's outdoor services team taught them how to make a settlement in woodland on the school's site.
The eager young settlers learned ancient methods including how to build a den and a wall using the "wattle daube" method, under the guidance of Laura Ashfield from the trust.
Year 3 teacher Oli Ryan said: "The students loved it, and they learned a lot as well.
"Hands-on experience is always really valuable and it usually means they learn an awful lot in a short space of time.
"The children were covered in mud, particularly the ones building the walls and dens, but the parents seemed to be fine with it.
"The students were all very enthusiastic about the whole thing and definitely got stuck in."
Other fun activities enjoyed by the pupils included map and compass work to help children locate a good place for their settlement, and survival skills such as learning how to build fires.
