School children in Leicester attending a remembrance event for the Indian Labour Corp at Lutyen's Memorials at Leicester's Victoria Park and New Delhi's India Gate.
Pupils attend a local remembrance event for the Indian Labour Corp at Lutyen's Memorials at Leicester's Victoria Park and New Delhi's India Gate. © Historic England
Pupils attend a local remembrance event for the Indian Labour Corp at Lutyen's Memorials at Leicester's Victoria Park and New Delhi's India Gate. © Historic England

120,000 Children Set To Benefit From £1.6 Million Heritage Schools Programme

  • 120,000 school children to benefit from £1.6 million investment to continue Heritage Schools programme
  • Children to create films and exhibitions and campaign for war memorials
  • Teachers supported to embed local heritage in the curriculum
  • Historic England reveals its most popular resources for teachers

The Department for Education has announced £1.6 million for Historic England's award-winning Heritage Schools programme, allowing the scheme to continue for the next two years.

Thanks to Heritage Schools, half a million children have already taken part in a range of stimulating projects including creating local heritage films, community exhibitions and some have even campaigned to have their local war memorial included on the National Heritage List for England.

Children uncover fascinating stories

Historic England has worked with a wide range of local heritage services including museums, galleries, libraries and archives to develop local heritage resources that teachers can use in the classroom.

School projects are specific to the local area and children have uncovered some fascinating stories: discovering their school was used as a military hospital during the First World War; where local women battled for the vote a hundred years ago; how the mining, fishing or cotton industry shaped their town.

The programme supports teachers in learning about the heritage of the area they teach in, so they can embed it into the curriculum, and make local links with the national story of England.

Since the programme started in 2012, Historic England has provided direct support to over 600 schools, and training to 3000 teachers and trainee teachers, reaching over 500,000 schoolchildren across the country.

Deborah Lamb OBE, Deputy Chief Executive at Historic England said: "We are delighted that the Department for Education has extended the funding for our Heritage Schools programme to 2020, so even more children can learn about and enjoy the heritage of where they live. Children are inspired by and feel connected to the heritage on their doorstep, and develop a sense of place by exploring the buildings and sites that make where they live special."

Free resources for teachers

Schools are provided with free resources, teaching packs, learning guides and thousands of archive images that are free to download from the Historic England website. Historic England has extensive online resources for teachers, including a pre-historic timeline, teaching notes, presentations and activities exploring life in the Bronze Age. the most popular downloads are Saxon England, First World War and 'What makes out place special?'