Museums and galleries
In April 2004, the DfES and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced a joint investment to strengthen the capacity of museums and galleries to support children and young people's education. Further information on this funding is in the press notice of 22 April 2004.
MLA London is helping to widen access to learning opportunities through the delivery of a national education development programme (known as Strategic Commissioning), jointly funded by the DCMS and the DCSF. The Strategic Commissioning document, available to download, showcases a small selection of the projects developed that are helping more young Londoners to actively engage with cultural heritage as well as linking to Every Child Matters.
A visit to a museum or gallery offers a range of learning experiences for everyone, whatever their age or level of interest. Use the 24 Hour Museum for a comprehensive directory of UK museums, galleries and heritage sites. The site incorporates a museum finder search facility and keeps its visitors up to date with the latest news and developments from museums across the country. There's also a kids' zone at the 24 Hour Museum. You may find it useful to consult Gallery Finder, the online directory of education opportunities in galleries, art museums and arts centres.
Visit the British Museum education department, which has a wide range of educational resources as well as online resources.
The National Maritime Museum contains the largest collection of material relating to Britain's seafaring history. It contains paintings, artifacts, ship models, interpretive displays and children's galleries that cover passenger and cargo shipping, military ventures, exploration and environmental issues.
Creative Partnerships helps schools to develop creativity in all subjects — not just the arts — and to give pupils the opportunity to take part in cultural activities. It works with schools to identify their needs and enables them to develop partnerships with organisations including museums and historic buildings.
Museum and Gallery educators should use the links below for more resources:
- Search TeacherNet's database of museums and galleries in major UK cities
- The Watch this Space scheme was designed to reach schools that do not regularly visit museums and galleries, through professional development of teachers and museum and gallery educators. New for 2006 is the Watch this Space toolkit, which draws on the expertise of participants in the scheme. It focuses on how to set up successful relationships between galleries and schools and includes useful resources.
- Space for Learning: A Handbook for Education Spaces in Museums, Heritage Sites and Discovery Centres was published in April 2004.The handbook gives detailed guidance for museum and site educators on such topics as fittings, furniture, equipment, new technologies, working with architects and planning for the future.
- The DCSF/DCMS May 2000 publication The Learning Power of Museums: A Vision for Museum Education sets out a vision of museums inspiring and supporting a learning society.
- The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's (MLA) Inspiring Learning for All framework is a web-based resource which aims to assist museums, libraries and archives to become more accessible and inclusive in the provision of learning opportunities for users and visitors.
- As part of the Renaissance in the Regions programme, regional museums are being funded to create a comprehensive service to schools. Further information and details of the MLA regional agencies running the programme are on MLA's website.
- The DCMS/DfES/RCMG publication Inspiration, Identity, Learning: The Value of Museums was published in September 2004. This document is based on the full RCMG research report evaluating the impact of the DCMS/DfES 2003-04 National/Regional Museums Education Partnerships Programme.
DCSF Museums and Galleries Education Programme (MGEP)
The MGEP ran from 1999 to 2004, and saw £4 million invested in
schools-focused museums and galleries education projects. It aimed to create
new opportunities for young people to benefit from learning through these
cultural institutions and to encourage teachers and museums educators to build
partnerships to help achieve this. The second phase of the Museums and
Galleries Education Programme (MGEP2) ran from October 2002 to March 2004. Read
about MGEP2 and the findings of the University of
Warwick's ongoing evaluation of the programme.
An evaluation was carried out on the first phase of MGEP by the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) at the University of Leicester. Download a summary of the RCMG report. This evaluation also led to the development of the informative Learning Through Culture good practice guide. This contains useful tips and information about the benefits of learning through culture, as well as practical messages on how teachers can use these resources effectively.
Last updated: 11 July 2007
