Old Sarum School Trip

English Heritage

Salisbury SP1 3SD

This mighty Iron Age hill fort is a unique location where Iron Age people, the Romans, Saxons and Normans have all left their mark on an impressive landscape. Once home to Salisbury's first cathedral and William the Conqueror’s castle, Old Sarum was a major centre of royal and religious power for 150 years. Today, it offers an opportunity to cover multiple topics across the curriculum.

Take learning out of the classroom with a curriculum-linked school trip to Old Sarum.

KS1 History: Significant historical events, people and places in the locality. Similarities and differences in ways of life in different time periods

KS2 History: A local history study. Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to Iron Age. The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain. The Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor. A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066

KS2 Geography: Human geography: types of settlement and land use, identify the manmade defensive features of the site

KS3 History: A local history study. The development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509. Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day. A study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’ chronological knowledge from before 1066

KS3 Geography: Understand the key processes in human geography; understand how human and physical processes interact to influence and change landscapes

KS4 History: OCR Specification B: Introduction to history around us

Teacher Checklist

Inspection Visits
Free Places for Teachers
Resource Packs

What activities are available during educational visits?

Book a free self-led visit to Old Sarum and organise your day to suit your curriculum needs. See the impressive ramparts of the original Iron Age hill fort, and cross the wooden bridge to explore the ruins of William the Conqueror's royal castle built in the centre of the site. You can also stand inside the footprint of Salisbury’s original cathedral in the outer bailey, and see the layout of the buildings. Download our free resources from our website, with site information and activity suggestions for before, during, and after your trip to help you make the most of your visit to Old Sarum.

Which curriculum topics do we cater for?

Prehistory School Trip

Iron Age Stone Age

Old Sarum was once a mighty Iron Age hill fort. Use the ‘Hands-on Timeline’ and ‘Hidden Now Heard’ backpacks to investigate life during the Neolithic and Iron Age. Please let the Education Bookings Team know if you would like to use these resources when making your booking.

Romans School Trip

Romanisation and ways of life

During the Roman occupation of Britain, Old Sarum was called Sorviodunum. Find out more about a Roman Britain school trip using the ‘Hands-on Timeline’, and about a Roman lady called Lucia and how she lived, through activities and handling objects in the ‘Hidden Now Heard’ backpacks resource.

Saxons School Trip

Saxon Settlements Arts and Culture

Find out more about life in the Anglo-Saxon period through character Aelfred in the ‘Hidden Now Heard’ backpacks resource, and try making your own Saxon shield wall with the bookable Saxon shields and Vikings swords resource. Download a battle script in the Top 5 Activities resource on the English Heritage website. Please let the Education Bookings Team know if you would like to use these resources when making your booking.

Vikings School Trip

Mythology and Culture

The Vikings raided Britain, losing the Battle of Searobyrg at Old Sarum. Discover the story from Sweyn Forkbeard, Viking king of Denmark in the ‘Hidden Now Heard’ backpacks, and find out more about everyday life for Vikings using the objects in the ‘Hands-on Timeline’. Please let the Education Bookings Team know if you would like to use these resources when making your booking.

Medieval School Trip

Medieval Society and Feudalism

After the Norman Conquest, a castle was built at Old Sarum, and it was the site of the original Salisbury Cathedral. Use the Black ‘Hidden Now Heard’ backpacks resource to learn about a range of characters and their lives during this period, from William the Conqueror, to John the Gong Farmer. Focus on the Normans and use the ‘The Oath of Sarum’, ‘Build Me a Cathedral’ and ‘Follow or Rebel?’ role play and activities to enhance learning.

Human Geography School Trip

Settlement and land use

A visit to Old Sarum is perfect for exploring types of settlement and land use and how human processes have influenced and changed the landscape. Look out for the man-made defensive features of the site as you explore.

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.

Download a selection of free resources from the English Heritage website, including site information, activity suggestions and a guide to using the on-site resources, to help you make the most of your visit to Old Sarum.