History tells stories about people, places and things to help explain to young people of any age why the world is as it is as they grow up and begin to question it.
Schools will choose different periods and settings and topics to cove during different Key Stages, but all of them are pretty well guaranteed to be rooted in actual places that can be visited, explored and enjoyed.
It has been a curious fact that for many years primary classes have studied the Roman, Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods, while secondary school syllabuses have been more engaged in post-medieval periods. For a while secondary courses involved a great deal of ‘topic work’. While this discipline still exists, the recent examination syllabuses have returned to an emphasis on historical periods and links.
But all periods and topics provide fantastic opportunities for school visits. We are so lucky that so many general and specialist museums and visitor centres exist in the UK. The problem is not a shortage of possibilities but how one sifts through the available opportunities to make choices.
The Historical Association website carries information about course, conferences, study tours, and the Association has published ‘The Historian’ magazine for many years. Handsam is also happy to help, please contact us on 03332 070737 or email info@schooltripsadvisor.org.uk.
Most venues will have teaching materials and activities geared to students’ different ages and aptitudes whether at primary or secondary level. All of them will set out to develop students’ ability to understand, analyse and evaluate key features and characteristics of historical periods and events studied.
Some venues will be easy to identify because they fit neatly with the period and topic being studied but others may offer new possibilities, not least to the teachers themselves. Teachers need and deserve their own stimulation.
Over the next four years there will be an upsurge in visits to the First World War battlefields. Because of this there will be an increase in companies offering visits and requirement for battlefield guides, especially in northern France and Belgium. There are bound to be discrepancies in guides’ knowledge and experience. Close research into the credentials of the company you are contracting with, and the company’s guarantees about guides, will ensure that your group will not be disappointed.
Main organisations:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Inclusion: NASEN
Thought of visiting?
Roman Vindolanda and Roman Army Museum at Hadrian’s Wall
Viriconium, Wroxeter, Shropshire
The Jorvik Viking Centre, York
Offa’s Dyke Trail and Chirk Castle
The National Trust for Scotland
Clan Donald Visitor Centre, Isle of Skye
Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre
Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin
Exeter Cathedral Education Centre
The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth
East Anglia Railway Museum, Colchester
The National Tramway Museum, Matlock
Bailiffgate Museum and Gallery is a people’s Museum, where fascinating stories of the past are told about the town and district of Alnwick. A historic building in the town’s Castle Quarter, which was previously a church, provides a calm and beautiful setting in which to celebrate our distinctive heritage, hold exhibitions and host events.
Schools
Explore the World at Bagshaw Museum. A Victorian former mill owner's house set in 36 aces of parkland and ancient woodland, the museum is host to a wide range of unusual and exciting collections of collections from around the globe.
For curious children, a medieval moated century manor house with a 19th century Catholic chapel, gardens, lakeside walk and nature trail. Tire them out first and there's enough for a couple of hours.
This atmospheric house dates from the 15th century and was the home of the Ferrers family for 500 years.
Ayscoughfee Hall Museum is set in a Medieval Hall dating back to around 1451. This fascinating grade I listed building includes exhibitions, displays and educational opportunities for all to enjoy.
There's always something going on at Ayscoughfee, whether it's concerts, theatrical performances, craft sessions or art exhibitions.
The North East of England has a rich and varied industrial heritage. Public transport is part of that heritage and has affected everyday life in this northern region.
Avoncroft Museum is home to over 30 different buildings and structures which have been rescued and re-built in rural Worcestershire. The Museum is spread over 19 acres and includes a wildflower meadow, period gardens, a traditional cider and perry orchard as well as the collection of historic buildings.
The Museum holds other historic collections which include:
The Auld Post Office Turriff is now a museum. The museum houses Town Council memorabilia, artefacts relating to the famous Turra Coo (Turriff cow), old Turriff photographs and temporary exhibitions. The robes and regalia of Turriff Town Council, which was disbanded in 1975, are also on display.
The Auld Kirk Museum is located on one of the oldest sites in Kirkintilloch.
The museum houses a rich collection of objects of local, national and international significance, interpreted in an innovative, exciting and educational way for visitors of all ages and abilities.
Malmesbury’s pretty old; archaeological digs have shown there was a Neolithic fort here around 2,500 BC so people have lived here for four and a half thousand years! So Malmesbury may be the oldest town in the country.
It claims as well to be the oldest borough as King Alfred (you know, the king that burnt the cakes) granted a charter to the town in 880 AD.
Astley Hall is a museum and art gallery housed within a Grade I listed historic house. The Hall is set within the beautiful surroundings of Astley Park which include historic woodland, a lake, a fully renovated Victorian walled garden alongside clean and modern facilities for visitors to enjoy.
Aston Hall and Park are hugely popular with family audiences and have a full programme of events, activities and trails throughout the season.
Admission charges apply to the Hall only. Gardens, grounds and visitor facilities are free to all vistors. There is free admission to the entire site on the first Sunday in every month during the open season.
In the heart of the village of Astley Green stands Astley Green Colliery Museum which, but for the foresight of Lancashire County Council and several leading figures within the community, would have suffered the same fate as the other collieries in the area, total demolition. It was the uniqueness of the 3,300 hp twin tandem compound steam winding engine that brought the demolition to a halt.
Astley Cheetham Art Gallery in Stalybridge was built as a gift to the town by John Frederick Cheetham and his wife Beatrice Astley in 1901. The gallery originally opened as a lecture theatre and then the space was turned into a gallery to house the Astley Cheetham Art Collection, bequeathed in 1932. This collection has grown with gifts and donations throughout the twentieth century and is one o
The Ashwell Village Museum contains all manner of wondrous curiosities relating to the village of Ashwell, Hertfordshire.
Housed in a 17th century Grade II listed building, the museum is located close to Ashford town centre and features exhibits associated with Ashford's history.
The Zouche and Hastings Gallery retells the history of Ashby de la Zouch from ancient times up to the present day.
Ashby Museum is commemorating the Fallen of the area during the Great War in a sobering exhibition in the Loudoun Gallery.
In 1285 by a Charter of Edward 1st Ashburton became a Stannary Town - one of four in Devon.
Tin Mining has played a great part in the development of the town as has the Woollen Industry.
Ash Museum is in the Cemetery Chapel, Ash Cemetery, Ash Church Road, Ash. We are open 3rd Sunday each month 2.00pm - 4.30pm.
This hand pulled funeral bier, which continued in use until c.1977, forms a central exhibit in the museum.
Arundel Museum is more than a museum – it’s an experience!
The Museum is almost exclusively run by volunteers who have a passion for the history of the town and its people.
The Exhibits have been arranged to tell the story of this historic town, from the first pre-Roman settlements to the present day.
Welcome to the Army Medical Services Museum
The four collections of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC), Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC) and Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) are held at the AMS Museum in Keogh Barracks, Mytchett in Surrey.
Armagh Public Library, the oldest library in Northern Ireland, was founded in 1771 by Archbishop Richard Robinson as part of his plans to establish a university and to improve the city of Armagh. Built to the design of Thomas Cooley, the building has housed both the Library and the Library Keeper's residence from the start.
The oldest county museum in Ireland is set in Armagh's beautiful Georgian tree lined Mall. Its collections capture centuries of stories relating to the people who lived, worked and had connections with this famous city and historic county.
Let Princess Katharine, a 90 seat waterbus, relieve the stress with a relaxing 25 minute cruise on the river Taff. An ideal link between Mermaid Quay and the City Centre. On the hour 10am to 4pm from Mermaid Quay and on the half hour 10.30am to 4.30pm from the City (Bute Park).
Cardiff Boat waterbus offers a regular service between Cardiff Bay and Cardiff City Centre.
Exhibitions, events and a café and bar right on the water's edge, plus video, touchscreen, hands on exhibits and our working boat restoration projects. TV’s Dick Strawbridge guides you through the evolution of boats, propulsion, navigation and so much more.
The Pierhead is a unique visitor, events and conference venue for the people of Wales at the Welsh Assembly; a space to express opinions and give voice to issues that matter to you as individuals, communities or organisations.
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.