What is it?
A workshop is a brief but intensive event focused on a specific topic, with the aim to vastly improve skills or knowledge in a short space of time.
What does it involve?
Workshops can revolve around almost any topic, but the basics generally concern themselves with achieving a target or a setting a problem for the group to solve. The leader of a workshop is usually an expert in the set area, and provides the plan for the session and guides the participants though.
Why do it and what are the benefits?
Attending a workshop can be great for really engaging students in a subject they may not have had an interest in beforehand! Setting a short term target, encouraging teamwork and the promise of a rewarding outcome can all really involve students in workshop activities, and increase their enjoyment of a topic while improving their abilities.
What equipment do we need?
Workshops do generally need some equipment, but if you're using an activity provider they will probably supply everything you need - make sure to check beforehand if you need to bring anything.
Who is it suitable for?
Generally suitable for all ages as the topic and complexity can be varied to fit all needs!
Costs?
The costs of a workshop will depend on whats involved in it and if you have to pay for supplies, but the general price per student shouldn't be too high.
Issues/Things to think about? (unsuitable for age groups, medical conditions etc)
Make sure to tailor the workshop to the students, and not vice versa - this activity can be incredibly effective if utilized in the right manner, and you should be certain that you can get the most out of the session.
How do we include?
As long as you make sure the workshop is the right one for your group, it should be easy to include everyone! The main component of a workshop is engaging with what's going on around you, and if the fellow particpants are familar to those with disabilties it should be easy to make sure everyone has a good time.
Doing it abroad?
Workshops can be found all around the world in varying forms - most popular museums will have some kind of activity available to learn more about the topic of interest.
Main website:
Consult individual websites to see what activities a venue can provide.
An imposing 18th century building set in 180 acres of grounds that were landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown. Hall open for events and exhibitions during spring and summer. The parkland is open throughout the year and free to visit.
Himley Hall and Park is a beautiful place to visit at any time of the year, with stunning grounds where there is always something to see and enjoy.
The Gallery is a modern exhibition space designed to display material from the most important galleries, museums and private collections in the country.
Visitors can trace the story of the Cotswolds from Prehistory to the late 19th Century, with hands-on exhibits, interactive displays and a wealth of precious artefacts. There are animated and practical games, and audio-visual screens to bring the past to life for everyone from schoolchildren to grandparents.
Alnwick Castle is brimming with history to be discovered, offering a range of activities and tours for groups and school visits alike, as well as a host of group benefits.
The castle has provided the backdrop for many famous films and TV series such as Blackadder, Downton Abbey and of course Harry Potter.
School Trips
The 45-minute tours of the Royal Mews are led by the Wardens, dressed in their striking red and navy livery, and depart at regular intervals throughout the day at the start of the visit.
Among the most outstanding Roman villa survivals in Britain, Lullingstone provides a unique all weather school visit.
Set in the attractive surroundings of the Darent Valley in Kent, the villa was begun in about AD 100, and developed to suit the tastes and beliefs of successive wealthy owners, reaching its peak of luxury in the mid-4th century.
Face to face with history. We are home to the UK’s national collection of arms and armour.
At our museum in Leeds there are over 8,500 objects on display in five galleries: War, Tournament, Oriental, Self-defence, and Hunting.
General Collection
Remains of Roman civilian town, an archaeologist’s paradise!
Tribal capital of the Silures (Venta Silurum) - impressive fourth-century walls standing up to 17 feet (5.2m) high. Excavated houses, forum-basilica and a Romano-British temple also remain.
The West Gate barns area provides car parking, level access to toilet facilities and interpretation panels.
With a history that spans 350 years, the defences of the Garrison on St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, form one of the most remarkable and impressive coastal defence systems in England.
You can enjoy a two-hour walk alongside the ramparts of these defensive walls and earthworks, dating from the 16th to 18th centuries.
This museum is a real treat. Beautifully composed displays lead you through a series of rooms on two floors that circle the courtyard of this historic building. As well as a clear time-line of the city’s dramatic history you’re introduced to Norwich people of all kinds in displays peppered with insights and anecdotes.
Inside one of Wrexham's landmark buildings, Wrexham County Borough Museum is the starting point for discovering the eventful history of this region on the English-Welsh border.
The museum's displays and collections tell the stories of Wrexham County Borough and its people from prehistory up to the present day.
Dramatic Dunstanburgh Castle was built at a time when relations between King Edward II and his most powerful baron, Earl Thomas of Lancaster, had become openly hostile.
Built on the most magnificent scale, Dunstanburgh Castle stands on a remote headland in Northumberland.
Set high on a dramatic escarpment of Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site, Housesteads Roman Fort is a fascinating tourist attraction in the north east of England. There are some stunning panoramic views to enjoy from the walls of this ancient fortress.
One of Norwich’s most famous landmarks, Norwich Castle was built by the Normans as a Royal Palace 900 years ago. It now houses the Art gallery and museum, as well as hosts tours of its dungeon.
Famed in the Middle Ages as ‘King Arthur’s Round Table’, the amphitheatre at Caerleon was built to serve the Roman legionary fortress of Isca around AD 90.
Affectionately referred to as the ‘Downton of the North’, Gawthorpe Hall was redesigned in the 1850s by Sir Charles Barry, designer of the Houses of Parliament and the ‘real’ Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle.
Welcome to the finest drama, the brightest West End musicals, the cream of the comedy circuit, award winning ballet and dance, family friendly shows, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, Opera North and Rambert Dance – and (we think) the best Pantomime in the country!
The Wallace Collection is a national museum in an historic London town house, which displays the wonderful works of art collected in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess. It was bequeathed to the British nation by Sir Richard's widow, Lady Wallace, in 1897.
Hagley Hall is a Grade I listed 18th-century house in Hagley, Worcestershire. It was the creation of George, 1st Lord Lyttelton, secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales, poet and man of letters and briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer.
A good display of Luton history and a history of the development of Luton industries.
The spire of St Mary’s is one of the tallest in England and for over 500 years it has dominated the skyline of Shrewsbury's old town. In 1739, showman Robert Cadman attempted to slide from it, head first, using a rope and a grooved breastplate. His engraved obituary stands outside the west door. The church is now the only complete Medieval church in Shrewsbury.
The Abbey is set in 37 acres of beautifully peaceful parkland in the centre of the ancient market town of Glastonbury. It is traditionally the first Christian sanctuary in Great Britain, visited, so legend has it, by Joseph of Arimathea and Saints David & Patrick.
Chester Castle was founded by William the Conqueror in 1070 and became the administrative centre of the Earldom of Chester. The first earth and timber ‘motte and bailey’ castle probably only occupied the area of the inner bailey. In the twelfth century it was rebuilt in stone and the outer bailey added.
Frigidarium, tepidarium, caldarium and natatio. Sounds like one of Harry Potter’s spells! In fact, they describe the wide range of facilities on offer to the Second Augustan Legion and other residents at their state-of-the-art leisure complex. We are talking heated changing rooms, a series of cold and warm baths, covered exercise rooms and even an open-air swimming pool.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.