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

Extensive area of upland heath

Covering as much as 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of heather-covered hills with stunning views of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Welsh hills, this is an important place for wildlife, geology and archaeology.

Dromore Cathedral is an anglican parish in the town of Dromore, County DownNorthern Ireland.

Bangor Cathedral, which stands in the centre of the city, is one of the earliest monastic settlements in Britain, being founded by St. Deiniol in around the year 525 (making it 70 years older than Canterbury Cathedral) on land given by the king of Gwynedd, Maelgwn Gwynedd.

The Cathedral Church of St Patrick, Killala, is one of Ireland’s smallest cathedrals but also one of its oldest. “The Episcopal See of Killala appears to have been founded between the years 434 and 441, by St.

Welcome to Plymouth Cathedral.  The Cathedral Church of  St Mary and St Boniface is the Mother Church of the Catholic Diocese of Plymouth, established in 1850.  The Cathedral itself was built in 1858 at the same time as a certain Bernadette Soubirious was receiving visions of Our Lady in the French town of Lourdes!  The Marian connection has always been very important to us at the Cathedral and

Cathedral Isle of Man was consecrated as a Cathedral in 1980.  It serves as the Cathedral for the Church of England diocese of Sodor and Man, which covers the Isle of Man.  As an Anglican Cathedral it is a place of worship, but its role extends well beyond the church community, as it welcomes people of all faiths and none across the Island to use the facilities for creative arts and a variety o

The beautiful 12th century church of the Augustinian priory of Brinkburn survives completely roofed and restored. Picturesquely set by a bend in the River Coquet, it is reached by a scenic ten minute walk from the car park. Parts of the monastic buildings are incorporated into the elegant adjacent manor house.

The Cathedral Church of St Michael and St George serves as the Roman Catholic cathedral for the Bishopric of the Forces, which provides chaplains to the British Armed Forces.

The Anglican Church of Bermuda is as much a part of our Bermudian culture as the beat of the snare drum from the neighborhood Gombey troupe; or the refreshing taste of a sweet loquat in season. In fact, the Anglican Church has been a part of the Bermudian way of life from the very beginning.

Ripon Cathedral is a beautiful, ancient church with a history reaching back to the 7th Century. It is a mother church for the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales and home for the cathedra (throne) of the Bishop of Leeds. The Cathedral is an active, living Church with a community of Christians who seek to make worship a priority for life and to reach out in service to the wider community.

Welcome to the Cathedral Church of St Marie, the mother church of the Diocese of Hallam and the seat of its Bishop, The Rt Rev Ralph Heskett. St Marie’s is located at the heart of Sheffield City Centre, in the midst of its civic, cultural and commercial life. It is open throughout the day and visited by large numbers of people.

All Things Wild Nature Centre at The Domestic Fowl Trust is set in the beautiful Vale of Evesham in the Worcestershire countryside, and is the perfect place for you to relax, learn and enjoy yourself.

Built in 1582 as a Merchant's House and set in the beautiful Waterlow Park, Lauderdale House is a Grade II listed building and now runs primarily as an arts and education centre, welcoming over 65,000 visitors each year.

Exhibitions & Fairs

Churches throughout England contain Medieval and Tudor brasses illustrating the knights and ladies, scholars,merchants and priests of the past, often laid down as portraits in memory of the dead. They are accurate 'postcards of the past' telling us about social custom, armour, dress, trades, professions and families.

Learn about the history of the Northamptonshire Regiment & Yeomanry and about how we used to live. Discover historic and contemporary leather design.

You can find us in Abington Park.

Once the grandest and most striking house on the Isle of Wight, Appuldurcombe's 18th century baroque elegance is still notable today in the partly restored shell of the building. Admire the delightful east front and stroll peacefully through 'Capability' Brown's idyllic ornamental 11 acres of grounds. Treat yourself in our well stocked and attractive souvenir shop.

Cors Dyfi is a wonderful little nature reserve that is teaming with wildlife for most of the year. This is where the Dyfi Osprey Project is situated.

Forge Mill Needle Museum in Redditch is an unusual and fascinating place to visit. This historic site illustrates the rich heritage of the needle and fishing tackle industries.

Experience the diversity in LEGOLAND

    Outstanding 14th-century moated manor house

    Lose yourself in this romantic moated manor house, described by David Starkey as 'one of the most beautiful and interesting of English country houses'.

    Built nearly 700 years ago, this house has seen many changes and been owned by Medieval knights, courtiers to Henry VIII and high society Victorians.

    This magnificent Norman Cathedral with its sense of awe and wonder is the perfect environment to support work in all areas of the National Curriculum and agreed Religious Education syllabus. Along with Durham Castle the cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    The Commandery has exciting stories to tell you about power, greed, war, wealth, romance, death, society and industry.

    Step back in time to catch a glimpse of the lively characters that have inhabited this ancient building during the past seven centuries.

    A farmed landscape with wonderful walks and great coastal views

    There's lots of variety to explore on the Mottistone Estate which stretches from the chalk downs through rolling hedge lined farmland to the sea.

    There is a car park and bus stop next to Mottistone Manor Garden which is a good place to start your visit. It's a great place to walk with many well marked paths to choose from and good expanses of open downland to wander freely over.

    Visit the home of the famous literary Brontë sisters - Emily, Charlotte and Anne. The parsonage in which they grew up and wrote countless works in the 19th Century is beautifully preserved.

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