Housesteads Roman Fort School Trip

English Heritage

Hexham NE47 6NN

A school visit to Housesteads Roman Fort is a unique experience. Stood high on the wild Whin Sill escarpment, Housesteads is the most complete example of a Roman fort anywhere in Britain, but what was life like for the 800 soldiers based here? With a history that goes back almost 2,000 years, Housesteads can offer a great insight into what life was like in Roman Britain, with both free self-led visits and tours led by our experts available.

A visit to Housesteads Roman Fort offers cross-curricular learning across numerous subjects in a fun and engaging way.

KS1 History: The national and global significance of Hadrian's Wall

KS1-3 History: A local history study

KS2 History: The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain; the 'Romanisation' of Britain and the impact of technology, culture and beliefs

KS3 History: a study of an aspect or site in local history dating from a period before 1066

Teacher Checklist

Risk Assessments
Inspection Visits
Free Places for Teachers
Free Places for Students
Resource Packs

What activities are available during educational visits?

Book a free self-led visit and fulfil your curriculum needs as you and your class explore Housesteads Roman Fort. March in the footsteps of the Roman soldiers through the fort, exploring the buildings where they lived and worked. Then learn about the life of a soldier, including the tools and weapons they used and the clothes they wore, through the objects that were excavated at the fort and are now on display in the museum.

Inspire and engage your students on an expert-led Discovery Visit. Our sessions have been specifically designed to meet the needs of different groups across the key stages and provide students with a fun and informative understanding of Roman life. Our Discovery Visits have been adapted to follow health and safety guidelines and will still offer your students a quality and fun learning experience.

You can also download our free teaching resources to help support learning before, during and after your visit.

Which curriculum topics do we cater for?

Romans School Trip Click to expand

The Roman Conquest and Hadrians Wall Romanisation and ways of life Roman Buildings The Roman Army

Visit the most complete example of a Roman fort in Britain to discover what life was life under the rule of the Roman Empire. On a roman school visit you can explore the site for free with your class, or enhance your learning with an expert-led Discovery Visit workshop:
• MEET A ROMAN SOLDIER (KS2-3): meet Roman Veteran Rufus Aelius Victor and discover what life was like for a Roman soldier stationed at Housesteads. Ask Rufus questions, dress in costume, train as a recruit in an auxiliary unit, explore the site and handle both real and replica Roman artefacts. £125 per class, session lasts for 1½ hours
• MURDER AT THE FORT: A ROMAN MURDER MYSTERY (KS2-3): become history detectives and solve a Roman murder mystery! Two skeletons have been found buried at the fort and you must piece together the clues to investigate the murder suspects. £100 per class, session lasts for 1½ hours

What size groups do we cater for?

There are generally no limits to the size of education group, provided the group meets our ratios for leaders to learners. Our Discovery Visit workshops are suitable for groups of up to 30. Please see our school visit terms and conditions on our website for further details.

On-site classroom facilities?

Many of our sites have education rooms that can be booked. Please check the relevant schools property page before making a booking.

Is there first aid on site?

Yes.

Access for visitors with disabilities

Yes – please see our website for further details.

Visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Our facilities have been designed to be as accessible as possible in order to meet the different needs of our visitors. A summary of the facilities provided can be found on our schools property pages.
If you or anyone in your group has particular access needs, please let us know at the point of booking or get in touch with our bookings team before you visit. Please note that some facilities may require booking in advance.

Who are English Heritage?

English Heritage cares for over 400 historic buildings, monuments and sites - from world-famous prehistoric sites to grand medieval castles, from Roman forts on the edges of the empire to a Cold War bunker. Through these, we bring the story of England to life for over 10 million people each year, over 300,000 of whom are education visitors.
We’re the largest heritage provider of school trips and provide a wealth of free educational resources, alongside expert-led, paid-for workshops for KS1-4. The high-quality of our education provision has been recognised most recently with a number of Sandford awards. Caring for our places and their collections, for the benefit of this and future generations is a cornerstone of everything we do.
We are a charity, no. 1140351, and a company, no. 07447221, registered in England.