History

History

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:

The Historical Association

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Inclusion: NASEN

Thought of visiting?

Roman Vindolanda and Roman Army Museum at Hadrian’s Wall

Viriconium, Wroxeter, Shropshire

The London Museum

The Jorvik Viking Centre, York

Winchester Discovery Centre

National Museum, Cardiff

Offa’s Dyke Trail and Chirk Castle

The National Trust

Bannockburn Heritage Centre

The National Trust for Scotland

Youth Hostels Association

Historic Scotland

Clan Donald Visitor Centre, Isle of Skye

Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre

Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin

Hull and East Riding Museum

Soane Museum, London

Exeter Cathedral Education Centre

Ironbridge Gorge Museums

Royal Armouries Museum

The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

The Scottish Maritime Museum

The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

East Anglia Railway Museum, Colchester

The National Tramway Museum, Matlock

The Museum of Rugby at Twickenham

Windermere Steamboat Museum, Cumbria

Venues for this Curriculum

The Cultural Experience is distinguished in its provision of accompanied study tours led by accomplished, knowledgeable and experienced specialists. 

STUDYTRIPS is one of the largest independent and most respected educational travel companies in the UK.
 

Remembrance Travel for Schools and Young People offers tours specifically for schools and young people to visit memorials, battlefields and remembrance sites across the UK and Europe, covering conflicts of the twentieth century.

Rhapsody Tours specialise in Year Group and Reward Trips for all types of school in both the state and independent sectors. They can offer a variety of experience to suit all ages of students from Primary to Secondary. Tours are by executive coach to UK and European destinations.

NST is the UK's leading school tours, school trips and educational travel company for primary schools, secondary schools and colleges.

Since 1967 we've been creating expertly planned school tours - helping groups get more from their time away... Take a Learning Journey.

Curriculum-linked school trips

Unstaffed open site, no booking required

Specialist Classical Tours

Hellene Travel, is an educational travel company with a difference. We specialise in classical tours, concentrating primarily on Greek, Roman, Turkish and Croatian archeological and cultural sites. 

Lying just a few miles from the centre of Glasgow, this unique villa has been described as Alexander 'Greek' Thomson's finest domestic design. It was built in 1857-8 for James Couper, a local businessman.

Many rooms are richly ornamented in wood, plaster and marble. School groups are welcome. Please contact the Education Officer at Pollok House for details.

With over 25 years of experience in operating tours for school/youth groups, IBT Travel prides itself in delivering both a quality product and an exceptional standard of customer care.  

Our company offers tailor made itineraries for both educational and snow-sport tours for groups travelling to the UK, Europe and USA.

FHT Travel Ltd provides a knowledgeable and professional student group travel services, with bespoke visits based on each institute’s subject specialism needs and offering great value for money. Whilst away, a full and varied programme can be arranged, giving students the ideal opportunity to enhance their studies away from the institute. 

ABTA and ATOL Bonded

European Study Tours is part of the Education Division of Holidaybreak, the education and activity travel group, alongside PGL and NST. We have 30 years' experience in operating student tours and conferences in Europe and worldwide. We have dedicated teams who deal with Tailor-made tours and Conferences.

Equity are specialists who will work with you to deliver fantastic learning experiences for young people that inspire them in the classroom and everyday life. We have been providing groups with inspiring school trips for over 80 years, which is why we are the best at what we do.

Regional Travel Advisors

Galloway School Tours provides tailored educational tours of the highest quality to destinations within Europe and the UK.   

One of the longest established school tour operators, the company has its own modern fleet of first class vehicles,  driven by experienced drivers, which transport the majority of its groups.   

Fast. Efficient. Working for you.

Diverse School Travel is a passionate and vibrant business, offering schools & colleges wonderful and exciting educational and cultural tours throughout the UK, Europe, and beyond. 

Inspiring and stimulating, exciting and motivating – science and geography have never been this good! Discover Ltd. operates a field study centre in the Cevennes National Park in France and welcomes students from across the UK and around the world.

With over 30 years’ experience, Club Europe are industry leaders in group travel for both UK and international students.

Unstaffed open site, no booking required

The Specialist School HIstory Travel Company

Anglia Tours Ltd specialises in high quality fully guided tours to a range of locations in the UK and across Europe, particularly battlefields and historic sites. Each tour is led by a highly experienced guide, selected not only for their expertise but also their ability to engage with audiences and to share their enthusiasm for the sites we visit.

ABTA & ATOL bonded

Adaptable Travel provides innovative educational tours for thousands of passengers each academic year from schools, colleges and universities. We pride ourselves on offering unique, safe and low-cost school trips and study tours. 

The Mount is a Norman earthwork motte and bailey fortress, which overlooks Corve Dale to the south-east. Standing at the north-east end of a low ridge, the oval flat-topped motte is crowned by a low bank around the southern half of its summit. Its ditch remains on the north and east sides but elsewhere it has been destroyed by the encroachment of farm buildings.

Corfham Castle is a mid 12th century motte and bailey fortress but sadly nothing now remains above the ground. In the inner bailey, the low motte has a wide surrounding ditch and the foundations of a shell keep. The large ditched outer bailey is lined with the foundations of a curtain wall and flanking towers.

One of the few inhabited castles in England

Broncroft Castle is a late 14th century stone fortified manor house, founded by Sir Roger Burley. In the Civil War, the castle was garrisoned by the Royalists until 1645 but it was ordered to be slighted in 1648. 'Much demolished' the Lutley family made repaired in the mid to late 17th century.

Designed by Scottish architect William Adam in 1732, Haddo House near Aberdeen is a magnificent example of an historic Scottish stately home.

School visits are available by prior arrangement and can be tailored to suit your requirements.

School trips and study tours abroad

Halsbury Travel will work with you to create a tailor made trip that will inspire your pupils and bring your subject to life.

Established in 1986, Halsbury Travel is a friendly, family-run school tour operator. With several former teachers in our midst, we understand from first-hand experience the pressures on teachers when organising school trips.

With a wealth of specialist experience, our friendly team has been helping school groups to enjoy sports, ski, educational and special interest trips since 1992 under our former STI School Travel, Sports Travel and STI Skiwise brands.

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