Heritage Schools

Developed in response to the government report on cultural education in England, our Heritage Schools programme aims to help school children develop an understanding of their local heritage and its significance. The programme includes clusters of schools in eight regions across England and a Champion Heritage Schools project.

400 schools are directly involved in the Heritage Schools programme. In 2022/23, over 2,200 teachers and educators attended Heritage Schools training.

The Heritage Schools programme aims to ensure that:

• Children develop a sense of pride in where they live

• Children understand their local heritage and how it relates to the national story

• Teachers are more confident in making effective use of local heritage resources in delivering the curriculum

• Local historic context is embedded in the school's curriculum

• Heritage providers are more connected to the needs of local schools

• Parents are engaged in their children's learning

• Communities are more deeply involved in the life of the school

Each school has nominated a Lead Teacher trained to embed local heritage in their school's curriculum. Teachers have reported that they are much more confident and knowledgeable about using local heritage due to their training. Our research shows that children are also increasingly proud of where they live.

In 2020, we launched Champion Heritage Schools, a project based in 8 schools across England that has delivered some inspiring local heritage projects over the past few years. The scheme champions the work of these brilliant schools and promotes local heritage learning to other schools across the country.

Project Details


Location: United Kingdom, Northern Europe, Europe Organiser(s): Historic England Funder(s): Department of Education, UK Funding received: £8.5 million Commencement Date: 03/2008 Project Status: Active
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Heritage Schools

Developed in response to the government report on cultural education in England, our Heritage Schools programme aims to help school children develop an understanding of their …

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