The Department for Education has announced a £1.6 million investment into Historic England’s award-winning Heritage Schools programme. The money will allow the scheme to continue for the next two years and is believed to benefit up to 120,000 children across the UK
The programme by Heritage Schools has encouraged more than half a million school children to get involved in an array of projects including creating local heritage films, community exhibitions, whilst some have produced campaigns to have their local war memorial on the National Heritage List for England.
The initiative has also inspired teachers to learn about the heritage of their local areas so that they may introduce their findings into the national curriculum.
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.”
Since the birth of the project in 2012, Historic England has supported more than 600 schools, helped to train over 3000 teachers and trainees and has contributed to the education of over 500,000 schoolchildren all over the UK in the process.
Historic England has worked with local heritage services including museums, galleries, libraries and archives to produce local heritage resources that teachers can use in the classroom.
From this, the resources have allowed school children to discover fascinating stories about their local areas including how local women battled for the vote, to how their local towns shaped the mining and fishing industries.
In addition, the Historic England website has produced schools with free resources, teaching packs, learning guides and archived images that are free to download here.
