Hatfield Forest is the best surviving example in Britain of an almost complete Royal Hunting Forest. It has seen many owners, from Kings to commonors. No other Forest on earth evokes the atmosphere of a medieval hunting Forest so completely.
Citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship Studies is concerned with the kind of society we live in and want to influence and develop. It covers, too, the role of the public and private organisations in the process. School courses help prepare students to become active citizens. The best of them promote students’ personal and social development, and make them more self-confident and responsible, in the classroom and beyond.
All external examination courses emphasise developing awareness of the role of citizens in a variety of contexts.
Just about any educational visit will contribute to the students’ exploration of new experiences and new ideas about being a ‘citizen’, but venues and activities that bring students into contact with other communities, other social contexts and other attitudes will be particularly exciting. Many museums and venues specialise in giving hands-on experiences of what some aspects of life in earlier centuries was actually like. These tend to be attractive to primary school groups.
Secondary groups often visit civic centres and attend local council meetings. Both primary and secondary groups will be welcome at churches, chapels, synagogues, mosques and temple, some of which offer programmes of talks and exhibitions. In cities this is relatively easy to arrange but even in rural communities priests and lay church people are prepared to help schools.
The Citizenship Foundation would be an excellent starting point. It claims to help 80% of secondary schools to nurture citizenship, and sets out to inspire young people to contribute to society. The Association for Citizenship Teaching also provides advice and teaching resources, while the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law delivers law and justice education at national heritage sites.
Main organisations:
Association for Citizenship Teaching
National Centre for Citizenship and the Law (NCCL)
Inclusion: NASEN
Thought of visiting?
The Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green
National Trust Museum of Childhood, Sudbury, Derbyshire
Venues for this Curriculum
William and Mary-style country house, garden and park
Built in 1701 by Thomas Vernon, a lawyer and whig MP for Worcester, Hanbury Hall is a beautiful country house.
This award winning Museum takes you back through time to explore the story of the Lake District and its inhabitants. Isolated before the arrival of the railway and motorcar, this area developed its own unique customs and traditions.
A gardener’s world, a picnicker’s paradise
Explore the evolution of the English garden and take a stroll through three centuries of landscape design at Wrest Park.
From dazzling parterres and fragrant borders, to sweeping landscapes and woodland walks – Wrest Park is a real treat for the senses. Explore over 90 acres showcasing French, Dutch, Italian and English styles side by side.
Take a walk on the wild side and explore an ecological paradise
Discover the beautiful countryside and rugged scenery of Marsden Moor. With more than 5000 acres of moorland to explore, there is always something new to see.
Discover more than just history
Leeds Castle welcomes school visits from all over the world, all year round. As part of our charitable mission we offer special subsidised rates to schools from Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Essex and London.
The new National Curriculum
Offering a weird and exciting mix of public aquarium plus thermal carp pool, creepy petrifying well, shiny gemstone and fossil display, vintage chinaware collection, regional history exhibition and one of the largest public displays of Holograms in Europe!
The Thermal Pool is fed by a warm spring and illuminated at night, containing plentiful common carp, mirror carp and koi.
In this most southerly part of rural Derbyshire, Beehive Farm Woodland Lakes offers visitors lots of fun ways to enjoy a very special corner of the New National Forest. They have over 66 acres of emerging young woodland to explore with thriving wildlife, fishing lakes and a family-friendly animal farm.
The Wash is the largest estuary and the most important wetland site in the UK. The south east corner of the Wash forms the largest National Nature Reserve in England.
Set in 33 acres of beautiful woodland with some stunning views of the surrounding countryside, Dartmoor Zoological Park is a unique family owned zoo with a fantastic collection of animals.
An intimate Arts and Crafts style family home and complementary gardens
Discover the cherished family home of Noel Goddard Terry, owner of the famous chocolate-making firm Terry’s of York. The house was designed by architect Walter Brierley in the Arts and Crafts style and is complemented by four acres of gardens, designed by George Dillistone. A hidden gem - only a stone's throw away from York City Centre.
Farm Shop, Butchery, nature trail, restaurant and activities
Jimmy’s Farm caters to large or small groups seeking education and/or adventure!
We offer formally structured courses for children and young people…
A landscape abandoned by a generation of progress
A step into Lanlay Meadows is a step back in time, where sprawling, unkempt hedgerows meet gnarled, twisted old oak trees.
Farmed for centuries, this small fragment of land has lain unchanged for decades, avoiding the wrath of today's flail hedge trimmers and fertilisers and becoming a rare haven for a huge array of wildlife.
Cistercian abbey, elegant Georgian water garden and medieval deer park
For centuries people have been drawn to this inspiring place.
From humble beginnings the magnificent abbey was established by devout monks seeking a simpler existence. The atmospheric ruins that remain are a window into a way of life which shaped the medieval world.
There's a natural surprise waiting around every corner
The Reserve covers 369 acres of the Meon Valley, encompassing a mosaic of natural habitats. River, fen, pools, reedbed and meadow are carefully managed, giving protection to a range of special wildlife.
Educational Visits
The exotic luxuriance of Mount Stewart's celebrated gardens, created in the 1920s by Edith, Lady Londonderry has helped make it one of Northern Ireland's most popular Trust's properties with all the family.
The Grand Union Canal at Stoke Bruerne is an idyllic picture of passing boats and local wildlife. It’s a relaxing and lovely place for a day out.
There are loads of different things to do – boat trips and walks, bird watching and fun for kids at Rookery farm.
Kellie Castle in Fife dates from as early as the 14th century and has magnificent plaster ceilings, painted panelling and fine furniture designed by Sir Robert Lorimer.
There are excellent facilities for school groups, including a fully equipped education room, adjacent to the walled garden.
The 'leaning tower' and walls of this large late medieval church survived bombing during the Second World War. The graveyard is now a public garden.
Bristol’s Temple Church is so called because the original church was built by the Knights Templar, perhaps the most famous of the medieval military orders.
Glorious gardens overlooking the River Thames.
Set high above the Thames with far-reaching views, Cliveden’s impressive gardens and majestic woodlands capture the grandeur of a bygone age.
Welcome to the National Botanic Garden of Wales. The first botanic garden of the new millennium is 568 acres of beautiful Carmarthenshire countryside, about an hour west of Cardiff. It is easy to get to but hard to forget.
12th-century Welsh castle, historic house and 18th-century landscape park, enclosing a medieval deer park
A magical land of power and influence for more than 2,000 years, Dinefwr Park and Castle is an iconic place in the history of Wales. Two forts are evidence of a dominant Roman presence. The powerful Lord Rhys held court at Dinefwr and influenced decisions in Wales.
The visionaries, George and Cecil Rice designed the superb 18th-century landscape that you see today.
Spectacular walks, secluded beaches and exceptional views
A spectacular coastline, combined with a lively working Cornish port, lends this area its unique character and charm.
There's a network of footpaths to discover, making the area great walking country, with the South West Coast Path offering sweeping views and a few hilly challenges.
Middleton Hall is a "unique" Grade II-listed country house in Staffordshire. The hall shows evidence of several phases of English domestic architecture from the late thirteenth to the early nineteenth century. There is a fine Great Hall that is of Tudor origin, which makes a classic setting for weddings, for performances and for parties.
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