What Makes the Romans Topic such a Challenge?
Ancient Rome should be one of the most exciting topics in the history curriculum. It’s filled with gladiators, emperors, engineering marvels, and an empire that shaped the modern world. Yet too often, pupils meet this topic with faded textbook images and abstract concepts. Why? Because the grandeur of the Colosseum, the bustle of the Forum, the drama of the gladiatorial games, these are impossibly distant from the classroom.
And with educational visits to museums increasingly out of reach and trips to Rome itself a distant dream, many schools are left asking: how do we bring ancient civilisations to life when we can’t leave the building?
The Distance of Centuries
Ancient Rome presents unique pedagogical challenges. Unlike local history, pupils can’t visit the sites or observe the culture in action. The magnificence of Roman architecture exists only in photographs and artist’s impressions. The thrill of the Circus Maximus and the horror of the Colosseum remain confined to written descriptions. Videos keep pupils as passive observers. Diagrams reduce magnificent buildings to floor plans and measurements. And the emotional connection that drives deep learning remains frustratingly out of reach.
The Power of Immersion
That’s where immersive technology comes in. At EduPeopleVR, our mission is simple: to enhance and enrich your curriculum using immersive technology. Our curriculum-aligned VR workshops draw on nearly 15 years of primary teaching and curriculum leadership experience to create unforgettable educational experiences that students don’t just observe, they feel and live.
We deliver VR workshops in schools across the North of England (including Darlington, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley, and County Durham) with a special focus on those hard-to-reach rural schools where enrichment opportunities are often most limited.
Ancient Rome: A Journey They’ll Never Forget
Our Ancient Rome workshop is designed to transform this topic from abstract to absolutely breathtaking. Pupils step back in time through Ancient Rome’s grandest sites. They journey from the opulent villas of Palatine Hill to the bustling Forum’s marketplace and temples. They become spectators at the Circus Maximus and explore the streets of Pompeii frozen in time, before eventually descending into the Colosseum’s underground chambers, where gladiators once awaited their fate.
Using genuine archaeological reconstructions courtesy of Lithodomos, our workshops provide an extraordinary educational experience that transports the magnificence of Ancient Rome directly into your classroom.
Suddenly, Roman architecture isn’t just a vocabulary word, it’s a place they’ve walked through. Gladiators aren’t just a chapter in a book, they’re fighters they’ve watched prepare for battle. And the vocabulary of ancient civilisations becomes embedded through lived, emotional experience.
Traditional vs Immersive Learning: A Quick Comparison
| Feature | Traditional Classroom Lesson | VR Ancient Rome Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement Level | Variable, often reliant on imagination | High, multi-sensory and emotionally powerful |
| Understanding Scale | Abstract, difficult to visualise building size | Tangible, pupils experience architectural grandeur |
| Access to Awe & Wonder | Limited to images and videos | Pupils feel present in ancient sites |
| Vocabulary Retention | Often surface-level memorisation | Deepened through lived experience |
| Oracy Opportunities | Teacher-led Q&A | Pupil-led description, questioning, debate |
| Cost per Class | £300–£500 for museum trip (one class) | £600 for up to six classes |
| Teacher Development | Rare during pupil trips | Built-in CPD on immersive tech and oracy |
| Reach | One class per trip | Whole school access in one day |
Why It Works
Here’s what makes our approach so effective:
Presence in ancient places: Pupils don’t just learn about the Colosseum, they descend into it. They don’t just read about the Forum, they walk through its bustling marketplace. This creates emotional connections that worksheets simply cannot.
Curriculum alignment: Every workshop is mapped to key objectives from the National Curriculum, so you can be confident it supports your planning and assessment.
Scale made comprehensible: By walking through temple complexes and standing in the Colosseum, pupils develop a genuine understanding of Roman achievement that photographs struggle to convey.
Oracy-rich experiences: Pupils are encouraged to describe what they see, question what they don’t understand, and reflect on ancient civilisations, building historical vocabulary and confidence.
Teacher development: Whilst pupils explore, teachers gain hands-on experience with immersive tech and oracy strategies they can use across the curriculum.
What Pupils Experience
| Roman Feature | Real-World Example in VR | Curriculum Link |
|---|---|---|
| Palatine Hill | Walking through opulent villas of the wealthy | Roman social hierarchy and daily life |
| The Forum | Exploring the marketplace and temples | Roman religion, trade, and civic life |
| Circus Maximus | Becoming a spectator at chariot races | Roman entertainment and culture |
| Pompeii | Walking streets frozen in time by Vesuvius | Roman towns and volcanic destruction |
| The Colosseum | Descending into underground chambers | Gladiators, engineering, and spectacle |
Affordable, Inspirational Learning
We know budgets are tight. That’s why our workshops are designed to be cost-effective. For the price of one class visiting a museum, we can transport up to six classes to the Forum, the Colosseum, and the streets of Pompeii, all without leaving the school grounds.
It’s not just a substitute for a trip; it’s access to places no school trip to a local museum could provide.
What Teachers Say
“We had an absolutely fantastic experience with EduPeople VR. The VR resources were really well thought out and perfectly suited to what the children were learning, making it such a fun and engaging way to explore different places around the world. Mr Peoples was brilliant—so friendly, professional, and great with the kids. He kept them all excited and involved from start to finish, and even the staff were hooked! The children couldn’t stop talking about it afterwards, and it was amazing to see how much they enjoyed and learned from the session. We’d definitely love to have EduPeople VR back again.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
– Katherine Hamilton, Captain Cook Primary School
How to Get Started
We make it easy. Whether you’re a curriculum lead, a history coordinator, or a teacher looking to inject some ancient excitement into your topic, we’ll work with you to tailor the experience to your pupils’ needs.
We bring everything: headsets, resources, and expert facilitation. You bring your curiosity and your class.
Final Thoughts
In a time when enrichment is under threat, and ancient civilisations feel impossibly distant, we believe it’s more important than ever to offer pupils experiences that spark joy, curiosity, and genuine wonder. Ancient Rome was magnificent, and so is immersive learning.
Let’s help pupils walk the Forum, witness the Circus Maximus, and understand the civilisation that shaped our world, not just in theory, but in vivid, unforgettable reality.
Ready to step into Ancient Rome?
- Contact us to book your VR workshop
- Visit our website to explore more topics
- Serving Darlington, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley, County Durham, and beyond
