English Heritage North East

Inspire your class and bring learning to life by standing at the places where history happened during a visit to an English Heritage site in the North East. Whether on a free self-led visit or an expert-led Discovery Visit workshop, you can explore England’s story at any of our 400 historic sites across multiple subjects and key stages.

English Heritage offers learning groups:

• Free entry to all properties plus free teacher planning visits and property information
• Award winning Discovery Visit workshops led by our experts
• Free resources that are ideal for supporting learning in the classroom and at our sites
• Dedicated education facilities, and activities at selected properties

Bookings need to be made at least 7 days in advance for free self-led visits and 14 days for Discovery Visits. Please include details of your planned learning activities and have someone in charge of leading your group.

Sites in the North East:

Aydon Castle, Northumberland

Barnard Castle, Durham

Birdoswald Roman Fort, Cumbria

Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, Northumberland

Berwick-Upon-Tweed Barracks, Northumberland

Brinkburn Priory, Northumberland

Chesters Roman Fort, Northumberland

Corbridge Roman Town, Northumberland

Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland

Etal Castle, Northumberland

Finchale Priory, Durham

Gisborough Priory, North Yorkshire

Housesteads Roman Fort, Northumberland (Discovery Visit workshops available: Romans)

Lindisfarne Priory, Northumberland

Norham Castle, Northumberland

Prudhoe Castle, Northumberland

Tynemouth Priory and Castle, Tyne and Wear

Warkworth Castle, Northumberland

Book a free self-led visit at any of these sites, or add an expert-led Discovery Visit workshop, available at selected sites from £100 per class. Please visit http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/education for full details.

Whether you want to lead your own trip, or take part in one of our award-winning Discovery Visit workshops, a visit to an English Heritage site will inspire your class and give them curriculum-aligned, unique and memorable learning experiences at hundreds of historic sites across England – including Roman forts, Victorian Halls, Medieval Castles and Abbeys, and the iconic Stonehenge.

Please find them here

Free self-led visits enable you to lead your visit to your chosen site in your own way. We offer free entry to pre-booked learning groups, as well as free planning visits to help you make the most out of your day. Use our free downloadable resources to help with your planning.

Expert-Led Discovery Visits are available at selected sites from just £100 per class. Students of all ages and abilities can meet characters from the past, role-play, or handle intriguing objects. These workshops are linked to the National Curriculum and suit a wide range of learning styles – encouraging active participation, introducing new vocabulary, and developing enquiry skills.

Many English Heritage sites can take groups of over 100 pupils, but we recommend splitting large groups into smaller ones. A maximum of 30 children per group is typical for our Discovery Visit workshops.

The ratio of adults to children should be:

Ages 4-5 (UK Reception) 1 leader for every 4 students (1:4)

Ages 5-7 (UK Key Stage 1) 1 leader for every 6 students (1:6)

Ages 7-11 (UK Key Stage 2) 1 leader for every 10 students (1:10) and

Ages 11-18 (UK Key Stages 3, 4, and 5) 1 leader for every 15 students (1:15)

Teachers’ Kits are available at selected sites, and contain details of a property’s facilities, historic information and learning activity ideas for before, during and after your trip. To help with your risk assessments, hazard information is available for all sites and will be sent to you along with booking confirmation.

Children are encouraged to take photos, drawings, music, drama, and other creative work to support and embed learning at historical sites.

Hazard Information Sheets are available for all sites to help make risk assessments easy. These are emailed along with site permits once bookings have been confirmed.

For more information or to make a booking, contact our Customer Support Team:

Phone: 0870 333 0606 (9am-5pm weekdays)

Online: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/school-visits/ Email: bookeducation@english-heritage.org.uk

Learning groups can visit any English Heritage historical site FREE of charge.

Expert-Led Discovery Visit Workshops are available at selected sites from £100 per school group of up to 30 children. Teachers and adult helpers are free.

Some sites are in exposed areas and may have limited cover. Wear warm, waterproof clothing in the colder months, and in hot weather, sun cream, sunhats and bottles of water are recommended. Visits are likely to involve a fair amount of walking on uneven ground. Sensible walking shoes are recommended in all seasons.

First aid boxes are available at all properties and most have first aiders.

Facilities at each site vary, but typically include toilets, parking and great picnic areas. Some sites might have dedicated indoor dining areas and education rooms. Please check our website for specific site information.

Children are very welcome in our shops but we ask that teachers supervise smaller groups at a time. A great range of souvenirs of the visit are available, with all profits going towards the upkeep of properties. For further information about the site’s shop, please talk to site staff when you make your planning visit.

Teachers’ Kits include details of access and facilities for visitors with disabilities. You can also check site information on our website, or call 0870 333 0606 regarding specific needs.

Generally, sites are open daily from 1 April to 31 October, and weekends only from 1 November to 31 March. However, opening times vary at different sites so please check our school visit information pages on our website for specific sites, or call 0870 333 0606 for details.

Learning resources such as loan boxes and replica clothing are available for free at selected sites. Please check our school visit information pages on our website for detailed information.

Teachers:

‘Absolutely brilliant – the kids loved it’

‘Fitted in with everything we are doing on the subject’

‘We liked the mixture of listening and then doing. The activities provided were excellent and engaging’

‘My class were enthralled and have been talking non-stop about their visit. I am glad we made the effort of sitting for 2 hours in the coach – it really was worth it!’

Students:

‘Really good fun’

‘The best day out I’ve ever had’

‘The best bit was getting to do things not just listening and looking’

Discovery Visit leaders:

‘It’s feelings and experiences that are important. Through them, the true story of a place can be brought alive’

‘Re-enactment is a brilliant way to teach. It engages children who then become interested and start listening to what you say’