More than history...

English Heritage highlights wide-ranging inspiration from historic sites

‘More than just history’ – that’s the message from English Heritage’s education team which is encouraging more school groups than ever to head outside the classroom and use this country’s rich heritage as inspiration for studying art, literature, literacy, numeracy and many other topics beyond history.

“Implementing a creative curriculum requires teachers to think outside the box, and look at new and different ways of teaching to really engage students of all ages, and this is where organisations like English Heritage can help,” explains education manager for the Midlands, David Sheldon. “Our sites are free to enter for education groups, so we want educators to think of them as extensions of their classroom – making regular use of the sites on their doorstep for just about any learning goal.”

David cites examples of creative writing that were inspired by a visit to Witley Court & Gardens, near Worcester “Bob Woodall who runs and moderates PublishingHouseMe, a national website ‘for young peoples’ creative work’ flagged up stories that had won the ‘submission of the month’ following a visit to Witley Court. The submission by ten year old Harriet beautifully described her visit, you can feel her sparking off the experience– the history of the property provided a scaffold for her writing, and it proves how given the opportunity wonderful creative and very individual responses can be gained through engaging with our shared heritage.”

Indeed, extending learning beyond history has been one of the core focuses of English Heritage’s education team when producing a vast library of resources for teachers available free online. English Heritage’s head of education and interpretation, Sandra Stancliffe, adds, “There is much discussion at the moment about schools cutting back on trips because of rising admission and transport costs, and thousands of schools are within walking distance of at least one English Heritage site so a trip out need not cost a penny to the school or parents – and yet the educational value of this kind of trip is huge.”

Other schools and colleges have made use of English Heritage sites to produce films and videos, as the subject matter for drawing and painting classes, as the ultimate venue for imaginative play, and even as the backdrop for an end of term fashion show! They follow a long line of famous people who have taken similar inspiration, from Bram Stoker, who was inspired to write Dracula by the gothic ruins of Whitby Abbey, to the writings and paintings of Stonehenge by Thomas Hardy and John Constable.

A full list of all English Heritage sites is available via the English Heritage website, www.english-heritage.org.uk/education. School groups wanting to visit a site should prebook online or by calling 0870 333 0606.

ENDS

For further media information, please contact:

Jay Commins – PRO English Heritage (Education)

Tel: 0113 251 5698

Mob: 07810 546567

Email: jay@fim.org.uk