At Key Stage 3 (KS3) the History curriculum includes a large span of British and world history, and there are few schools that are more than a couple of hours from a venue that will enhance pupils’ historical study. Local religious centres and town halls will be a good start for the study of ‘church, state and society in Britain’, but we would encourage schools to look at the Houses of Parliament and the Welsh Assembly as candidates for possible visits - both of whom offer tailored services to schools.
Visits to the foreign 1914-18 WWI sites are firm school favourites already, and are likely to be doubly popular in the next four years. Many schools combine the history element with some linguistic extras to develop pupils’ ability to ‘speak coherently and confidently, with increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation.’
In regards to drama and music, many pupils will have been to plays and musicals before the age of 11, but KS3 theatre visits will encourage interest in the subjects and develop the national requirement for ‘a deepening understanding of the music that they perform and to which they listen, and its history.’
The KS3 curriculum requires schools to develop pupils’ adventurous spirits, using group activities to encourage pupils to ‘take part in outdoor and adventurous activities which present intellectual and physical challenges.’ Many national providers specialise in this area, providing imaginative activities for all kinds of age and ability groups, with a large number tailoring activities for those with special educational needs and disabled pupils.
Take a short boat trip to this wild and remote shingle spit, the largest in Europe.
Follow trails through a stunning landscape and a history that will both delight and intrigue.
Discover an internationally important nature reserve littered with debris and unusual, often forbidding, buildings from a sometimes disturbing past.
Captivated by the Coal House series? You’re not alone! The BBC television series, filmed on site, has attracted thousands of new visitors to witness how difficult life was for working families at Blaenavon Ironworks’ Stack Square cottages.
The Royal London has a museum which is located in the crypt of a 19th-century church. It reopened in 2002 after extensive refurbishment and is open to the public free of charge.
Bembridge and Culver Downs form a dramatic promontory at the east end of the Isle of Wight. The cliffs are part of the same chalk ridge that forms the Needles and cliffs of Tennyson Down in the west. Feel the wind in your hair and admire the views over Sandown Bay and the Solent from this high point perched on top of the cliffs.
Explore Brimham Rocks, and have a great day out at nature's playground.
This amazing collection of weird and wonderful rock formations makes a great day out for families, climbers and those wanting to enjoy the simple pleasures of fresh air and magnificent views over Nidderdale.
Officially the highest zipline tour in Australia, the Illawarra Fly Zipline Tour involves flying on a series of cable spans and suspension bridges up to 35 metres above the forest floor!
A 10-km (6.5 mile) underground track between Paddington Station and Whitechapel sorting offices, it was served by a fleet of 2-ft gauge driverless electric trains, once transporting 30,000 mailbags containing four million letters and packets every day.
The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum is housed in two towers of Caernarfon Castle. In it you will discover the history of over 300 years of service by Wales’s oldest infantry.
Outridge is an 80 acre farm set on the side of Toy's Hill. It has an impressive grade 2 listed square oast house and piggery located in its centre and is home to the Octavia Hill basecamp.
Rising from the east shore of Loch Lomond to a height of 974m (3,193ft), Ben Lomond offers exhilarating walking and spectacular views across Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park.
The Heddon Valley set in the West Exmoor coast was the favourite landscape of the Romantic Poets.
In the heart of Pollok Country Park, this award-winning building houses a unique collection in a beautiful woodland setting. The Burrell Collection is one of the greatest ever created by one person, comprising over 8,000 objects.
Located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Wales, Colomendy is the perfect environment for 7-11 year olds to explore the great outdoors
Breath-taking adventure park nestled in woodlands with a giant zipwire, climbing tower and an abundance of ropes courses
On-site watersports including canoeing, kayaking and raft-building
Situated on the enchanting Isle of Wight, with stunning views over Whitecliff Bay and direct beach access, this centre an instant hit with students and teachers alike
Located in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, providing the perfect destination for environmental and history studies along the dramatic Jurassic Coast
With its unique place in the history of science, Down House, the home of Victorian scientist Charles Darwin (1809–82), is one of the major visitor attractions in the South East. Down House was Darwin's home from 1842 until his death 40 years later.
Derwentwater is often called the 'Queen of the Lakes', and as you canoe between the islands with your picnic at the ready it's easy to see why. The friendly staff at our shop and information centre on the Keswick Foreshore will help you out with local knowledge about canoeing, interesting things to see and walks to do.
Brownsea Island is dramatically located in Poole Harbour, with spectacular views across to the Purbeck Hills.
Buttermere in Old English means 'the lake by the dairy pastures'. Large numbers of Vikings settled in Cumbria during the 9th and 10th centuries and many names in the area are of Norse origin.
The St Just coast boasts spectacular cliffs which lead from turbulent Atlantic seas, to a flat plateau of granite, capped by small agricultural fields. Here, since the Bronze Age, tin has been pulled and pushed out of the earth.
Lying on the north western edge of the Lake District National Park, Ennerdale is home to some of England’s most vibrant natural environments and one of the longest running wild land restoration projects in the UK.
The valleys descend from the highest and wildest mountains all the way to the beautiful sandy beaches on Cumbria’s peaceful western coast. The landscape provides everything from grandeur and beauty to tranquillity and remoteness.
A beauty spot of the South Pennines with more than 160 hectares (400 acres) of unspoilt woodland.
As well as being the home of the northern hairy wood ant, there are tumbling streams, glorious waterfalls and stacks of millstone grit, all crisscrossed by more than 15 miles (24km) of footpaths.
A museum set in a remarkable building that holds an extensive collection that covers the many aspects of life and social history in Bishop’s Castle and the surrounding area. Free to visit. Restricted opening times as run by volunteers.
If you are visiting nearby Stourhead then why not walk half a mile or so to see one of the great follies of the UK.
With so much to see and do, a trip to Belsay is one of the best value family days out in north-east England. Explore the medieval castle, the Grecian inspired Hall and acres of impressive gardens.
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.