REID Street primary school pupils got hands-on in their discovery of the heritage of some of society’s most invaluable inventions.

Designer of the first flush toilet Thomas Crapper, London sewer engineer Joseph Bazalgette and inventor of the telephone Alexander Graham Bell were among a host of historical figures under the spotlight at Reid Street Academy.

The lessons came as part of the school’s Wow Week designed to inspire children by exposing them to the inventions that have changed the world.

Some classes made their own versions of telephones using cups and string and also looked at the design of the London office building the Shard and the humanitarian effects of charity events such as Comic Relief.

Key Stage Two pupils got their hands dirty recreating sewers with pipes, water and mock ‘waste’ as part of their studies into sewer engineer Joseph Bazalgette and flush toilet inventor Thomas Crapper.

They also studied the impact of global figures such as Nelson Mandela, the Wright Brothers, and aviator Amelia Earhart.

Year one teacher Leanne Robson said: “We take them off timetable to look at everyday life, which we take for granted but often has a fascinating history.

“They all had great fun making sewers and couldn’t believe the size of the first mobile phone.

“Our annual Wow Week is the sort of activity they will remember in years to come and it helps make them look at the world from a different angle.”