Even though the West (main) Gate was under renovation, the tour of the rest of the Palace was beautiful, exciting and informative. A highlight was having the room in which King Edward VI was born (and his poor mother, Jane Seymour, died) pointed out and learning little bits and pieces such as Henry VIII had his servants' banqueting room's ceiling painted dark blue and decorated with 'stars'.

In addition to this, some of the students took part in a fabulous activity in which they explored the impact of the Reformation on the people of England and Europe and debated who should be Elizabeth I's heir. As always, the students were on fine form, impressing the session leader with their splendid knowledge and exceptional analytical skills.

Members of the public were impressed with how smart and polite the students were, with one commenting to a teacher that they were the most well behaved students she'd ever seen at a national attraction. Many thanks to all the teachers, cover supervisors and the office team who made this lovely trip possible for the Year 8 students.