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.
The family home of Bess of Hardwick, one of the richest and most remarkable women of Elizabethan England, stands beside Hardwick New Hall which she had built later in the 1590s.
Though the Old Hall is now roofless, visitors can still ascend four floors to view surviving decorative plasterwork, as well as the kitchen and service rooms with our audio tour.
Aydon Castle stands in a secluded woodland setting. Almost completely intact, it is one of the finest and most unaltered examples of a 13th century English manor house.
The ruins of a medieval palace (together with later additions) used by the Bishops and senior clergy of Winchester as they travelled through their diocese. Winchester was the richest diocese in England, and its properties were grandiose and extravagantly appointed.
The impressive ruins of Henry II's 12th century keep, on the site of a Roman fort guarding the approach to strategic Stainmore Pass over the Pennines.
No-one ever forgets their first sight of Oxburgh - a romantic, moated manor house.
Built by the Bedingfeld family in the 15th century, they have lived here ever since. Inside, the family's Catholic history is revealed, complete with a secret priest's hole which you can crawl inside.
Formerly the Grange Museum of Community History, Brent Museum has a collection consisting of objects relating to the local Brent area and the communities who live there.
The hill forts of Lambert's Castle and Coney's Castle are less than a mile apart so you can easily explore them both in a day. Each one has a different character, but both have a rich past.
One of the largest and finest 13th-century tithe barns in the country, lying in the Worcestershire countryside.
If you're visiting Middle Littleton tithe barn make the most of your day by visiting nearby Croome Park, Lance 'Capability' Brown's first complete landscape garden or Hidcote Manor Garden, a celebrated 20th-century garden in the north Cotswolds.
A lovely and rare 14th-century circular dovecote with metre-thick walls, hundreds of nesting holes and original rotating ladder, nestled in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside.
The ruined church of an Augustinian abbey, reduced in size after fire and plague.
Creake Abbey probably had its origins in 1206 when Sir Robert and Lady Alice de Nerford established the small chapel of St Mary of the Meadows at Lingerescroft, bordering the tiny River Burn.
The remains of a large, wellbuilt Roman courtyard villa. The most important feature is a nearly complete mosaic tile floor, patterned in reds and browns. The remains are located in a peaceful rural landscape, within a loop of the River Evenlode, which flows gently past the site to the north and west.
Substantial remains of a small 16th century gun tower protecting Old Grimsby harbour, vigorously defended during the Civil War.
The Block House formed part of a series of forts built on the islands during the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I, and followed the attempt to build a large artillery fort, known as Harry’s Walls, on St Mary’s.
The great 13th century circular shell-keep of Restormel still encloses the principal rooms of the castle in remarkably good condition. It stands on an earlier Norman mound surrounded by a deep dry ditch, atop a high spur beside the River Fowey. Twice visited by the Black Prince, it finally saw action during the Civil War in 1644. It commands fantastic views and is a favourite picnic spot.
The ruined hall and chamber of a fortified manor house of the powerful Percy family, dating mainly from the 14th and 15th centuries. Its undercroft is cut into a rocky outcrop.
A tall medieval octagonal tower, allegedly a lighthouse, built here in 1328 as penance for stealing church property from a wrecked ship. Affectionately known as the Pepperpot, it stands on one of the highest parts of the Isle of Wight. It is part of the Tennyson Heritage Coast, a series of linked cliff-top monuments. A later lighthouse can be seen nearby.
Set on a headland high over the popular seaside town, Whitby Abbey is the perfect choice for a great value day trip in Yorkshire. It's easy to see how Bram Stoker was inspired by its gothic splendour when writing Dracula. This is one of the most atmospheric visitor attractions on the Yorkshire coast.
The Fisherman's hospital is situated on the Market Square in Great Yarmouth.
The Corporation of Great Yarmouth founded the hospital in 1702. It was set up as Almshouses for 'decayed' fishermen: providing housing for twenty fishermen and their wives aged sixty and over who could no longer provide for themselves.
Grey Friar’s Chapel is the 13-15th century tower of Kings Lynn’s Franciscan friary. It is one of only three surviving Franciscan monastery towers in England and is considered to be the finest.
Beautifully constructed 14th-century barn made from local Cotswold stone. Dramatic aisled interior and unusual stone chimney cowling are notable.
Built in 1480, with early 17th and 18th century additions, this fine timber-framed house was rescued from demolition after the Second World War and has been carefully restored and refurbished.
An archway leads through to a delightful walled garden.
An intimate family home and peaceful estate set in the rolling hills of the Chilterns.
This picturesque 16th-century mansion and tranquil gardens were home to the Brunner family until recent years. The house exudes a welcoming atmosphere with a well-stocked kitchen and homely living rooms. The series of walled gardens is a colourful patchwork of interest set amid medieval ruins.
Clent Castle is a mock ruin castellated folly in the grounds of Clent Grove (now the Sunfield Special School and Children's Home).
It was built in the late 18th century by Thomas Liell and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.
The remains of a medieval castle crucial to Anglo-Scottish warfare, superseded by the most complete and breathtakingly impressive bastioned town defences in England, mainly Elizabethan but updated in the 17th and 18th centuries. Surrounding the whole historic town, their entire circuit can be walked.
Standing within an attractive village setting, not far from the fantastic Lullingstone Roman Villa, is Eynsford Castle - a very early Norman 'enclosure castle' whose substantial stone walls present a rare survival of this striking and impressive style.
Tucked away in a tiny hamlet adjoining the National Nature Reserve, the 17th-century Old Town Hall is the only remaining evidence of Newtown's former importance.
It's hard to believe that this tranquil corner of the island once held often turbulent elections before sending two Members to Parliament.
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.