Holocaust Exhibition & Learning Centre Huddersfield
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The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre, Level 2 Schwann Building, The University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH
MONTHS OPEN
DAYS OPEN
AGE GROUPS SERVED
Listed under: English | History | Day Trip Destinations | Historical Heritage | Museums | Storytelling
What we offer on a school trip
The Holocaust Exhibition & Learning Centre opened in 2018 and preserves the memory, records and legacy of Holocaust survivors living in Yorkshire. There is a museum standard exhibition, an education room for schools and groups, and a flexible space for conferencing, events and temporary exhibitions. The Centre is at the heart of the University campus.
The Centre’s exhibition, Through Our Eyes, tells the story of 16 children and young people who survived Nazi persecution across Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. They came to the north of England as refugees or survivors of the Holocaust, settled and made new lives here.
We offer a programme of Active Learning Sessions for schools and groups of young people aged 10 and above, led by qualified teaching staff. We can also arrange talks from Holocaust survivors or on specific topics with University of Huddersfield academic staff. Our Travel Subsidy Scheme, sponsored by the University of Huddersfield, covers the cost of coach travel for eligible schools. Please see https://holocaustlearning.org.uk/learning/travel-subsidy-scheme/ for further details.
The exhibition contains photographs and video footage of concentration camps and atrocities that some visitors may find disturbing. The exhibition is not suitable for children under the age of 10.
What makes us a great choice for education?
We are the only Holocaust exhibition in the north of England and the only one in the UK co-located on a University campus. Our high quality exhibition was shortlisted in the 25th anniversary National Lottery Awards as one of the 10 best heritage projects in the UK and in the Times Higher Education Awards as Community Project of the Year.
Through Our Eyes is an interactive, multi-media exhibition designed with the needs of young people in mind. Visitors will see poignant personal photos of the survivors and their families and their original artefacts and documents, together with an original prisoner uniform and other artefacts from the concentration camps at Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora. The survivors tell their stories of discrimination, persecution, escape, hiding, ghettos, forced labour, concentration camps and liberation through filmed testimony on six interactive touchscreens. Text and images puts their experiences in context, supported by animated maps and an immersive audio-visual experience driven by survivor testimony. There is a reflective space at the end of the exhibition where visitors can find out about the survivors’ experiences of rebuilding their lives in the UK and explore a digital memorial to local families.
What is typically included on our school trips?
Our Active Learning Sessions for school groups are targeted at upper Key Stage 2 through to A-Level students and beyond. All sessions are cross-curricular and flexible and can be adapted to target specific areas of the National Curriculum, particularly History, RE and English, as well as Citizenship and PSHE. For further information about the sessions, please see www.holocaustlearning.org.uk/learning. Visits can be tailored to the needs of your group. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Materials, Resources & Information Provided
Our on-site Active Learning Sessions were developed by our team of expert staff, informed by a Teacher Advisory Panel of practicing teachers from local schools. All sessions are delivered by qualified teaching staff.
Our Active Learning Sessions for school groups are targeted at upper Key Stage 2 through to A-Level students and beyond. All sessions are cross-curricular and flexible and can be adapted to target specific areas of the National Curriculum, particularly History, RE and English, as well as Citizenship and PSHE. For further information about the sessions, please see www.holocaustlearning.org.uk/learning.
We provide survivor biographies and filmed survivor testimony on our website at https://holocaustlearning.org.uk/stories/.
Risk Assessment Details
We provide sample risk assessments for visits and can tailor a session to your group. Please see https://holocaustlearning.org.uk/learning/essential-visit-information/ for essential visit information.
Education Officer Information
Please email helc@hud.ac.uk or phone 01484 365301 to enquire about a visit.
Pricing Information
We offer a programme of Active Learning Sessions for visiting groups. These last between 90 minutes and 2 hours depending on the content and age of the group and cost £5.50 per student (accompanying adults visit free). There is a minimum charge of £150 per group to cover our overhead cost.
First Aid Information
We have access to first aiders on site but recommend that the group should bring a qualified first aider if they can.
Available Facilities
The University has a wide range of facilities for students aged 12 and over including a shop, the International Kitchen catering area and a range of coffee and food outlets catering to all dietary requirements. We recommend that groups with secondary school age children use the University facilities. There are spaces where students can eat their own lunch. Please see https://students.hud.ac.uk/unilife/huddersfood/ for further details about campus catering.
For primary schools and younger children our learning room is sometimes available to use as a lunch room but must be pre-booked, for which there is a £25 cleaning fee.
There are male, female and disabled toilets located at the back of the exhibition space. Further toilet facilities are available on campus including gender neutral toilets.
The University campus has a faith centre with a prayer room that is open to all visitors: https://students.hud.ac.uk/help/faith/
Schools and colleges can become members of the University Library under the Public Membership scheme. See https://library.hud.ac.uk/pages/librarypublicaccess/ for details.
Accessibility & Disabled Facilities
Disabled parking for blue badge holders is available on site. All university buildings are DDA compliant. There is level access to the Centre via a lift and an accessible toilet. The exhibition is fully wheelchair accessible. All films in the exhibition are subtitled.
Opening Hours & Information
Monday – Thursday: 10am – 5pm
Friday: 10am – 1pm
We occasionally hold events on weekends and selected Sundays. Please see https://holocaustlearning.org.uk/events/ for details of upcoming events.
Testimonials
“Our visit has been absolutely brilliant, with regard to the organisation of the trip, information and materials provided. Thank you very much - this experience will have really enhanced our children's lives and understanding.” – Year 5 teacher
“A superb visit, well organised and a fantastic learning opportunity for the students. Thanks.” – Year 12/13 teacher
“I feel I now know more about real people, see the time period with more compassion than before.” – Year 10 student
There are more visitor testimonials at https://holocaustlearning.org.uk.
