Whitley Academy pupils went to the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley to take part in a TV documentary on how classrooms looked more than 100 years ago.
The students sat separately in boys and girls areas, marked in big letters on the floor, before being told to use little black boards and a kind of dark chalk.
Pupil Daisy, 12, said: “We were then asked to start reciting the tables, and especially the alphabet backwards. It was so difficult!
“It was also very strange to hear the teacher talk in a very loud voice – it was akin to shouting. He also had a stick in his hand walking back and forth... very scary!”
Pupils were told when St James’ School was first open in 1842, children paid two pennies every Monday morning to give to their teacher.
In 1860 a male teacher at the school were paid a salary of £60 while a female teacher was paid only £30.
Pupils later got to play Victorian street games, including cup and ball, spinning tops, and hoops and sticks.