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
Wilberforce House is the birthplace of William Wilberforce, famous campaigner against the slave trade.
Admission to Wilberforce House is free. The museum tells the story of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its abolition, as well as dealing with contemporary slavery. Galleries also offer a fascinating glimpse into West African culture.
Come and find out about the Scottish Parliament. We've got games, stuff to help you with coursework, posters for the walls of classrooms and lots more!
Our education programmes are run for schools, colleges and other educational groups who are interested in finding out more about the work of Parliament.
Visit Churchill War Rooms to discover the original Cabinet War Rooms, the wartime bunker that sheltered Churchill and his government during the Blitz. Explore the historic rooms to experience the secret history that lives on underground.
Gilmerton Cove is a series of underground passageways and chambers hand-carved from sandstone located beneath the streets of Gilmerton, an ex-mining village, now a suburb of Edinburgh.
Working with teachers to inspire a life-long love of Shakespeare in young people.
Frogmore House has been a favourite royal retreat for more than 300 years. Built in the 17th century, it became royal property when it was purchased for George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte, in 1792. It is no longer an occupied royal residence, but is frequently used by the Royal Family for private entertaining.
he King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Museum received £204,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the refurbishment of this re-telling of the story of this famous regiment which was founded in 1757. Generous contributions towards the cost of the project were also received from the Regimental Trustees and the Friends of Doncaster Museums
A walking tour of Stratford upon Avon with William Shakespeare is fun for every age. He will relate stories of his life, whilst passing all the notable sites: his birthplace, Halls Croft, Nash's House, The Grammar School, the theatre and grave.
A unique experience: two treasure hunt style walks of discovery to keep the whole family intrigued and amused. Keep the kids happy answering clues and matching pictures, whilst reading stories about this surprising, often overlooked city. Buy the booklet from our website and explore in your own time.
Walk 1: Theatre to Cathedral
A fun way to explore the small and historic town of Kenilworth in the green heart of Warwickshire. Follow the Trail, solve the clues and see the sights!
enilworth is home to the ruins of England’s most important lake fortress which Queen Elizabeth I visited on several occasions.
Belfast City Hall is Belfast City Council's civic building. It is located in Donegall Square, in the heart of Belfast city centre. It first opened its doors on 1 August 1906.
Tucked away from the main road, Cadbury Camp offers peace and tranquility with great views south to the Mendips and beyond to the Quantocks, Exmoor and Flat and Steep Holm in the Severn Estuary. To the west you can see south Wales and the Brecon Beacons, and follow the Severn Estuary up to the two bridges.
Beautifully placed between the city of York and the town of Malton , the riverside ruins of Kirkham Priory are set in the beautiful Derwent valley near the Yorkshire Wolds.
At this peaceful tourist attraction, learn all about the secret visit of Winston Churchill during World War II and unlock the connection between Helmsley Castle and the priory.
The 17th-century cottage was home to Coleridge for three years, from 1797. It was during his time here in Somerset that Coleridge wrote his finest works, including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan, Frost at Midnight, The Nightingale, Cristabel and This Lime Tree Bower my Prison.
Coniston is a prime example of a place where nature and history, environment and man meet in a topographical dimension and together generate culture. The Ruskin Museum is Coniston’s Cabinet of Curiosities, which features: a Lake and a Mountain, a Prophet for the Millennium, a real Boy’s Own Hero and Swallows and Amazons.
An elegant 18th-century thatched cottage with its peculiar gentrified vernacular style.
A rich history and delightful walks can be had by those who explore the property in Bessbrook, Co. Armagh.
Take your students on a 90 minute journey through 600 years of Hamburg’s murky history, as our full cast of entertaining theatrical actors bring to life gripping stories of Hamburg's most infamous characters and events.
The Hardy Monument stands on an exposed location above the village of Portesham in Dorset. It was built in 1844 in memory of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Flag Captain of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Amongst other things, Hardy became famous as it was in his arms that Nelson died, saying the immortal words 'Kiss me Hardy'.
Kit's Coty House and its neighbour, Little Kit's Coty House, are the remains of two megalithic 'dolmen' barrow burial chambers standing in open fields.
The sites offer fine long views across the North Downs and Medway Valley.
The Roman Wall of St Albans, which was built between AD 265 and 270 to defend the Roman city of Verulamium, can still be traced for most of its two-mile circuit.
Beautifully sited on the fringe of Dartmoor, Lydford boasts three defensive features. Near the centre is a 13th-century tower on a mound, built as a prison. It later became notorious for harsh punishments - 'the most annoyous, contagious and detestable place within this realm'. To the south is an earlier Norman earthwork castle: to the north, Saxon town defences.
The Scott Monument is the largest monument to a writer in the world. It commemorates Sir Walter Scott.
There are 287 steps to the top of the Scott Monument, from where you can enjoy breathtaking views of Edinburgh and the surrounding countryside. Find out about Sir Walter Scott and the monument in the museum room.
This charming rustic mill is one of only four virtually complete corn mills in Cheshire. Take a guided tour of Nether Alderley Mill, and learn all about the process of milling and hear fascinating stories about the lives of the millers.
Looking for a fun and interesting way to explore Warwickshire? The Stratford-upon-Avon Trail is one of many in the area. These fun treasure hunts will teach you fascinating facts and show you some beautiful scenery. Enjoy a family walk and solve an intriguing mystery at the same time.
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.