Learning On My Doorstep

We find the local cultural links in your curriculum

We are your local experts. We can spot the local links that match your school’s individual curriculum. Our approach is to look across your whole school planning, or any specific subject area you choose to find Surrey-specific links for History, Geography, Art, Design, Science and so on. We also highlight any people or places of significance.

We can review this together or simply signpost you to high quality and Surrey-specific learning resources and experiences ‘on your doorstep’ that best fit your school’s curriculum and ethos.

High Quality and Practical

Our workshops are enjoyable and hands-on, full of practical tips on how to use artefacts, archive and archaeology in the classroom for enquiry-based learning. We have excellent sessions ready to go, or we can create a bespoke session tailored to your curriculum or a specific need. All sessions include signposting to your local cultural connections. Workshops can be extended for a half day inset.

We come to you

We appreciate how busy teachers are, which is why our Market Place events take place under your roof where it makes the best sense in relation to your specific school curriculum.

Our Market Place events can be run after school or during an inset day. We bring along your choice of museum, gallery, arts and heritage partners most suited to your planning. We arrange this in full collaboration with you.

On the day, our cultural partners learning officers set up in your school hall with a selection of learning resources, workshops and loan boxes. Your staff bring along year group, coordinator or phase planning and we then speed-date to explore which cultural learning resources and opportunities might work best for them and their children.

We can scale it down

This is similar to the Market Place event, but with 2 or 3 cultural organisations that you identify as most relevant. Often, these are the most local to you.

We run this in a slightly more informal manner, in a staff meeting or in a classroom at an agreed time.  Partners bring along learning resources to discuss with your staff in relation to your planning – we just don’t speed date them!

We can scale it up

If you are part of a Multi Academy Trust or partnership and would like to use a Market Place event in a more strategic way, we are very happy to arrange this with you.

As well as sharing the cultural opportunities across the schools, there is greater potential to use the organisations more effectively by planning delivery of a similar theme, topic, experience or skill across multiple schools.

Focus on subjects

Subject leaders of any subject can get together in one of our cultural settings for whatever purpose suits them.

For example, subject leaders from across school partnerships have found it helpful being in stimulating surroundings for planning, developing ideas and mapping out their next year’s delivery.

We can facilitate if there is a specific area of interest to develop.

Need training?

If you’re looking to support NQTs and trainee teachers at primary and secondary level, we can offer practical sessions with a Surrey focus. Teachers will learn how to use artefacts, archive, archaeology and other Surrey cultural resources in the classroom for enquiry-based learning.

Training can a one-off session or a series.

The cost for a bespoke series would be agreed in discussion with your school based on need and timings.

Looking for resources?

Getting started as an NQT and trainee History teacher is tough enough. Knowing where to find resources and materials to support teaching can be a minefield! Especially if you’re not local. That’s where we come in. We have the local knowledge, expertise and links in the county.

We work directly with learning teams in over 40 Surrey museums, galleries, arts and heritage sites. In other words, YOU don’t need to do the searching – we already know the people you want to connect with.

Cultural Visits?

We can help new teachers navigate what’s involved with a cultural visit in Surrey, from the practical aspects of risk assessments, journey times, toilets and class sizes to finding stimulating visits to match your curriculum.

Want to develop projects?

Get in touch. We can broker links between you and Surrey’s cultural organisations.