Historic Venues

Cawdor Castle

​Discover Shakespeare away from the classroom with these top visits

2024-03-05T10:21:00+00:00

To celebrate Shakespeare Week, here are some top activities and attractions for schools to celebrate the life of the playwright all-year-round.

School pupils take part in a history session at St Mary's Guildhall in Coventry

St Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry makes visits more affordable with lottery funding

2024-01-03T14:31:00+00:00

The 700-year-old medieval attraction is helping more pupils take part in hands-on history experiences thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Roman Garden outside the villa at Butser Ancient Farm

Butser Ancient Farm opens Roman garden for schools

2023-10-23T14:23:00+01:00

The Duke of Gloucester has opened a new garden at the Hampshire-based open air museum, offering school groups a further glimpse into Roman life. 

School children taking part in an educational workshop at Windsor Castle in Berkshire

Royal Collection Trust access scheme open to schools

2023-08-29T15:29:00+01:00

Schools can apply to the Royal Collection Trust’s Access Scheme which ensures that those working for and with economically disadvantaged pupils can enjoy a regal visit outside the classroom.

School pupils walking through the gate of Portchester Castle in Hampshire

In pictures: 14 English Heritage attractions which are great for educational visits

2023-07-11T15:59:00+01:00

Discover a broad range of historical periods across these 14 sites, ranging from the Romans and Tudors, to the Saxons and Victorians.

An evening outside the Royal Albert Hall in London

Royal Albert Hall’s Future Makers concert returns for schools

2023-07-03T08:04:00+01:00

Teachers are being invited by London’s Royal Albert Hall to book a visit to see Future Makers this autumn, designed especially for educational visits.

Learning manager Lily Dean relocates an original Enigma I to its new home in Block E Learning Centre at Bletchley Park.

Bletchley Park’s new learning centre to support STEM studies

2023-06-01T09:50:00+01:00

A state-of-the-art learning centre is now available for school groups after a £13m redevelopment of Block E at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire. 

St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry

St Mary’s Guildhall workshops cover royal history through the centuries

2023-02-15T14:28:00+00:00

St Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry has revealed an ‘It’s Reigning Royals’ workshop as part of its learning programme for schools. 

Mary Arden's Farm, Stratford-upon-Avon

Case Study: discovering more about Tudor farm life

2023-01-02T01:18:00+00:00

Kineton Primary School took part in a rewarding visit to Mary Arden’s Farm in Stratford-upon-Avon, the former home of Shakespeare’s mother. Here’s what they got up to. 

St Paul's Cathedral, London

School workshops at St Paul’s Cathedral celebrate the life of Christopher Wren

2022-12-29T02:52:00+00:00

St Paul’s Cathedral is offering specialist workshops as part of Wren300, a national celebration highlighting the work of iconic architect Christopher Wren on the 300th anniversary of his death.

Kids in Museums Takeover Day

Kids take over several museums to celebrate their impact on wellbeing

2022-11-29T12:13:00+00:00

Dozens of museums, galleries, archives and heritage sites across the UK were taken over by young people as part of Kids in Museums Takeover Day 2022.

Gainsborough Old Hall, Derbyshire

Case Study: living like the Tudors at Gainsborough Old Hall

2022-10-04T11:06:00+01:00

Teacher Lynsey Gregory reports back from her pupils’ fascinating Discovery Visit to Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire, one of English Heritage’s newest openings.

Walmer Castle, Kent

8 school trip ideas to inspire pupils with British history

2022-08-30T08:11:00+01:00

Nothing inspires pupils more than stepping away from the classroom to experience times gone by at some of the most historically significant places around Great Britain. Whether it’s wartime visits or Tudor-linked sites, children can get to grips with the past by visiting the rooms that textbooks can only describe. ...

Mary Arden's Farm, Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare attraction celebrates post-pandemic school trip boom

2022-08-16T16:17:00+01:00

Mary Arden’s Farm in Warwickshire says it has welcomed more than 5,000 children from over 120 different schools since reopening in 2021 following the pandemic. 

Cadbury World

Engaging day trips for primary and secondary pupils

2022-07-20T16:55:00+01:00

We’ve rounded up seven fantastic day trip ideas for schools across England, to help students venture outside the classroom whatever the weather.

Royal Gunpowder Mills

The Royal Gunpowder Mills opens to schools for first time in over two years with new offers

2022-06-30T15:27:00+01:00

For the first time in more than two years, the Royal Gunpowder Mills in Waltham Abbey is accepting school bookings with a new programme.

Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre

New Clore Learning Centre at the Roman Baths now taking bookings

2022-06-07T13:13:00+01:00

School trips to the famous Roman Baths in the city of Bath are now enhanced thanks to a new state-of-the-art learning centre which includes an Investigation Zone and dedicated learning spaces.  

Diving Deep, Historic Dockyard Chatham

Historic Dockyard Chatham welcomes children to experience ‘sensory journey’

2022-02-14T18:02:00+00:00

Historic Dockyard Chatham has unveiled Diving Deep, a new exhibition documenting the archaeological recovery of HMS Invincible, the British Royal Navy ship which lay at the bottom of the Solent for over 260 years.

Pupils at Stonehenge

English Heritage invites schools to take part in new programme with Discovery Visits among highlights

2022-02-08T09:22:00+00:00

English Heritage has relaunched its education programme for 2022 in a bid to encourage more schools to take advantage of the benefits of school trips to children’s wellbeing and cross-curricular learning. 

Macbeth, Shakespeare's Globe

Up to 20,000 free school tickets to see Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe

2021-11-04T15:21:00+00:00

The historic Shakespeare’s Globe in the heart of London is offering up to 20,000 complimentary school tickets to see Macbeth, with teacher Continuing Professional Development (CPD) events linking to the show also available. 

Reading Abbey Ruins

Schools invited to discover more about Reading Abbey for its 900th anniversary

2021-09-28T11:31:00+01:00

Schools are now able to book an educational workshop at Reading Museum, giving pupils the chance to learn more about the nearby ruins of Reading Abbey in its 900th year.

Gainsborough Old Hall

English Heritage offering teacher training session at Gainsborough Old Hall

2021-08-03T08:27:00+01:00

English Heritage, the charity which looks after over 400 historic sites across the country, will host a ‘Teacher Twilight’ education session at Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire to offer a taster of what pupils can expect on a visit. 

Leighton Hall's Wildlife Habitats programme

Leighton Hall unveils new learning programmes and facilities

2021-04-27T15:33:00+01:00

The new packages at Leighton Hall in Lancashire include outdoor learning programmes with facilities such as an outdoor kitchen, weatherproof woodland log circle and an insect corner.

Shakespeare Globe Theatre tour

Shakespeare’s Globe plans to offer drama-themed school sessions

2021-03-23T10:49:00+00:00

The learning team at Shakespeare’s Globe in London has said it is hoping to resume limited activity with schools on-site from 12th April onwards.

Shakespeare's Globe, London

Shakespeare’s Globe is offering online CPD courses for teachers

2021-01-28T15:09:00+00:00

Shakespeare’s Globe will provide affordable online CPD (Continuing Professional Development) courses for teachers as well as free streaming and online resources throughout February. 

Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park keen for pupils to take part in virtual sessions to support the attraction

2020-09-08T08:07:00+01:00

Bletchley Park is calling on schools to take part in its new virtual learning sessions, which aims to bring the best of the attraction to the classroom, and demonstrate how popular it they can be,  so that jobs within its learning team can be saved.

Kingswood House School's virtual trip

How one school trip went virtual with videos, podcasts and even home cooking

2020-06-25T14:48:00+01:00

Ian Mitchell, deputy headteacher of Kingswood House School in Surrey, talks about their pivot to a virtual school trip experience that included videos, podcasts, web links, Microsoft Teams… and even cooking.

National Wallace Monument

History video series launched by The National Wallace Monument

2020-04-22T11:29:00+01:00

The team at The National Wallace Monument in Scotland have launched an online video series to help young people learn about history from home.

Lullingstone Roman Villa

Hands-on history at 400 English Heritage sites

2020-03-01T09:16:00+00:00Sponsored by

See how big a castle really is, delve into secret wartime tunnels and marvel at the wonders of Stonehenge. Bring your teaching to life and inspire your students on a school trip to one of English Heritage’s 400 historical sites across the country.

St Paul's Cathedral

6 must-see attractions for school groups visiting London

2020-01-08T09:20:00+00:00

The capital is filled with museums, historical venues and one-of-a-kind sites linked to learning outside the classroom.

Hever Castle

Top Tudor history trip locations

2019-12-03T17:12:00+00:00

Take Tudor learning outside of the classroom with educational activities at these four exciting sites. 

Lincoln Cathedral

Teachers invited to Lincoln Cathedral to find out about new learning programme

2019-11-06T09:50:00+00:00

The team at Lincoln Cathedral have invited educators to learn about its upcoming opportunities for schools at a free event.

Monument to the Great Fire of London

School activities available at The Monument to the Great Fire of London

2019-08-07T11:01:00+01:00

The Monument to the Great Fire of London will host a range of activities across the 2019-2020 academic term, covering a different subjects to get children thinking about the historic disaster in the capital. 

Archway Project at the Roman Baths

Work starts on new Clore Learning Centre at the Roman Baths

2019-07-17T09:59:00+01:00

Victorian buildings near the site of the Roman Baths will undergo a major regeneration over the next year to be transformed into a Clore Learning Centre for the Roman Baths and a World Heritage Centre for the city.

Walmer Castle

English Heritage’s Walmer Castle and Gardens opens new learning centre

2019-06-12T16:25:00+01:00

Walmer Castle and Gardens in Kent has opened a new learning centre - the first new substantial building at the castle for 145 years, giving schools a base from which to explore its historic grounds.

School visit to Beeston Castle April 2019

English Heritage to rebuild Bronze Age roundhouse at Beeston Castle

2019-05-28T09:35:00+01:00

English Heritage volunteers are reconstructing a Bronze Age roundhouse at Beeston Castle in Cheshire, to educate visiting schools on life from the era.

Tower Bridge local school exhibition

Local school assists with Tower Bridge’s exhibition

2019-01-21T10:03:00+00:00

Boutcher Primary School in Southwark worked closely with artist Imogen Piper to create a new exhibition inside the landmark.

Skipton Castle

Focus on: Skipton Castle

2018-08-14T11:54:00+01:00

Skipton has what is said to be one of the most complete and best preserved medieval castles in England, standing watchful over the market town as it has for over 900 years.

Credit Historic England

Heritage schools programme to benefit 120,000 children

2018-04-10T12:08:00+01:00

The Department for Education has announced an injection of £1.6million into Historic England’s Heritage Schools Programme, allowing the scheme to continue for the next two years.

School trip with Thames Clippers

Sailing to success: MBNA Thames Clippers

2018-03-25T14:52:00+01:00

An excited group of seven to 11-year-olds really pushed the boat out on their first trip to London that also involved the majority of them travelling by boat for the very first time.

National Memorial Arboretum

Teaching children about World War One in its centenary year

2018-01-23T14:56:55+00:00

This year marks 100 years since the end of World War One, a pivotal point in history which pupils can learn about on a school trip.

HM Bark Endeavour

Captain Cook’s ship to provide educational visits for schools

2017-10-20T14:17:57+01:00

The full-scale replica of Captain Cook’s ship, the HM Bark Endeavour, will be docking at the North York Moors coastline in Whitby next spring, offering an opportunity for schools to learn about maritime history.

HMS Warrior 1860

Learning on board the HMS Warrior 1860 and further

2017-08-02T09:00:41+01:00

We look at how a trip to Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard and the HMS Warrior 1860 can tie in with curriculum subjects.

Buckler's Hard

New Literacy education programme at Beaulieu and Buckler’s Hard

2017-07-31T10:35:43+01:00

Beaulieu and Buckler’s Hard in New Forest, Hampshire has introduced a new educational programme, which ties in with Literacy and Creative Writing.

Alan Turing's Office

What schools can learn from a visit to Bletchley Park

2017-06-21T16:44:43+01:00

STO looks at what pupils can learn from visiting the home of the codebreakers, Bletchley Park.

HMS Belfast

School overnight stays available on-board HMS Belfast

2017-05-11T14:40:20+01:00

HMS Belfast has launched an experience which allows school groups to spend a night on-board.

Brixton Windmill and education centre

Education centre to be built alongside Brixton Windmill

2017-04-21T10:25:08+01:00

A new learning centre is set to be built adjacent to Brixton Windmill in Lambeth this summer.

Maritime Museum%2C Buckler's Hard

Buckler’s Hard: Discover maritime history with Literacy and History workshops

2017-01-25T16:00:54+00:00

The village of Buckler’s Hard has a lot to offer school pupils, from teaching them about naval history to allowing them to explore the natural surroundings, and find out about its World War Two involvement.

A class at Sacrewell Mill

Sacrewell Mill: cross-curricular studies and post-visit ideas

2016-01-18T12:42:00+00:00

Rachel Bailey speaks to learning officer Nikki Cherry about the History, English and Science opportunities for Primary school students at Sacrewell Mill in Cambridgeshire.

Shakespeare Week activities

Six ways to celebrate Shakespeare Week outside of the classroom

2016-01-07T16:10:00+00:00

Get into the swing of Shakespeare week with some of these outdoor learning opportunities for students.