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
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.
The Ridgeway is the ancient route that stretched from Dorset to the Wash and still traverses the chalk ridges of the Berkshire Downs. Often described as Britain's oldest road, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that the area is home to three of the South East's most important prehistoric sites: Uffington Castle, White Horse and Dragon Hill.
‘Logically it should not still be standing up!’
Seeing the tumbling architecture of Little Moreton Hall for the first time, engineers in 1990 could not believe their eyes. Fortunately this timber-framed building, curled around with a scenic moat, has defied logic for over 500 years.
Discover something new
A classic Norman motte and bailey castle, founded soon after the Conquest to overawe the Saxon town. A later stone shell-keep crowns its steep mound, giving sweeping views across the town rooftops to the River Dart.
Lodge Park
John 'Crump' Dutton built this 17th-century grandstand, fuelled by his passion for deer coursing, gambling, banqueting and entertaining.
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
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.
Yarmouth Castle, Isle of Wight provides a magnificent picnic spot, with views over the Solent for a lovely relaxing family day by the sea. Step inside and discover the atmospheric recreation of how the rooms were used in the 16th century, and see the exhibition about the many wrecks which occurred in the treacherous stretch of sea which the castle overlooks.
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.
The shell of Appuldurcombe, once the grandest house on the Isle of Wight and still an important example of English baroque Architecture stands in 'Capability' Brown-designed grounds.
An exhibition of photographs and prints depict the house and its history.
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.
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.
A charming Gothic Revival 'eyecatcher' built in 1760 in the park of the Bishops of Durham. It provided deer with shelter and food, and had grounds for picnics and rooms for enjoying the view.
The Bishops of Durham have kept a residence at Auckland since the Norman period.
There is something for all the family at this warm and welcoming 18th-century property, the former home of the Earls of Enniskillen. The house enjoys a peaceful setting in west Fermanagh, with a dramatic backdrop of mountains and forests. There are glorious walks to enjoy, as well as fine vistas and play areas. There is even a charming walled garden.
Explore the remains of this once important Roman staging post, including 'mansio' (Roman inn) and bathhouse.
The site is entirely open-air and manned by volunteers, who are happy to provide more detailed information on the site on the last weekend of every month from March to October.
Letocetum is under the guardianship of English Heritage.
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.
Now open to the public, the shelters, with a network of tunnels almost 1.6km (1 mile) long, once sheltered 6,500 people.
Come and experience life as it was during a 'black out' in wartime Britain and experience the sights and sounds of the home front.
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.
Beautiful ruins, regular events and storytelling folk in costume - who says history can't keep them interested!?
Welcome to Ludlow Castle, an unusually complete range of medieval buildings with a varied history of Norman Fortress, Fortified Palace, Administrative Centre and finally the romantic ruin it is today.
Hurst Castle provides a remote escape by the sea with plenty of things to do and see! Built by Henry VIII it was one of the most advanced artillery fortresses in the England.
A good display of Luton history and a history of the development of Luton industries.
On Plymouth's historic Barbican, you'll find an ancient doorway that takes you back in time to Drake's Plymouth.
Down panelled hallways and up spiral stairs, you'll find yourself in the furnished home of an Elizabethan merchant or sea captain.
Mind your head on the low ceilings and feel the creaking oak of the sloping floors as you explore the Elizabethan House.
The City's heritage walking tour from the Nottingham Ghost Walk team! See the key sites of interest in the City and hear intriguing tales about Robin Hood and many other famous Nottingham characters. Tour includes a cave visit (subject to availability). Was Robin Hood a Hero or a Villain?
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.
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.