Creative History Workshops

School Workshop

We can visit your school in: All UK Regions

Why book 'Creative History Workshops'

Our methodologies are all rooted in our understanding that "history" consists of the tales of the people who lived it, not the pages of books about it. So our creative history programmes are all deliberately big, bold and larger than life! We have options to meet almost any need - from whole-school programmes for up to 420 pupils in a single day to tailored packages for individual classes, year groups or phases. We can cover almost any period, from the Stone/Bronze/Iron Ages to the Space Race - and can support commemorations/celebrations of historical events (Living with the War, for example, one of our Time Travel Theatre offerings, is especially pertinent this year, the centenary of the end of World War I). And many of our programmes, including, of course, The Brilliant Britons, offer support in teaching British Values.

The high level of engagement we induce is complemented by the excellent classroom management skills of all our practitioners (all of whom have enhanced DBS clearance). We also make life easy for the schools we work with, giving accurate prices (with no "hidden extras"), supplying bespoke timetables and providing suggestions for experiential, follow-up writing activities.

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What activities are available during this educational workshop?

As we offer five different types of creative history programme, we are able to meet just about any need ...

1) Time Travel Theatre ... comprising a 75 minute interactive performance plus follow-up workshops and/or Question and Answer sessions.

2) Time Travel Tourists ... seeing your school being visited for the day by a well-known figure from the past.

3) The Drama of History ... where we work with a number of classes over a day or more, leading drama-based workshops on the historical periods they're exploring.

4) Historical Maths ... a uniquely cross-curricular approach, allowing children to learn more about the past while developing and extending their mathematical skills.

5) Talking Timelines ... in which children, supported by our beautifully designed Fact Files, teach each other about history - before annotating and sharing amazingly illustrated Timelines.

Which Curriculum Subjects do you cater for?

Greeks

Greek life and achievements

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group. Out Greek workshops include: understanding of aspects of the history, culture and mythology of the ancient Greeks. Increased awareness of the some of the lasting legacies of the ancient Greeks.

Egyptians

Pharaohs Mummies Pyramids and Tombs Hieroglyphics Sphinx

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group. Understanding of aspects of the history, culture and mythology of ancient Egypt. Increased awareness of the history of exploration of Egyptian tombs.

In addition, if you are looking for a cross-curricular workshop our Maths workshops "The Riddle of the Sphinx" combines both Maths and Egypt! you will find details of this on our Maths page.

Romans

The Roman Conquest and Hadrians Wall Romanisation and ways of life Roman Buildings The Roman Army Boudicca Rebellion Our Roman Legacy

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group. Understanding of aspects of the Roman invasion and occupation of Britain. Increased awareness of the some of the lasting legacies of the Roman occupation.

Saxons

Invaders and Settlers Saxon Settlements Saxon Laws and Justice Arts and Culture Edward the Confessor

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group. Understanding of where the Anglo Saxons came from - and why. Increased awareness of the violent and unstable nature of the period.

Vikings

Invaders and Settlers Viking Raids and Invasion Viking Trade

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group. Understanding of aspects of the history, culture and mythology of the Vikings. Increased awareness of life in Viking settlements.

In addition, if you are looking for a cross-curricular workshop our Maths workshops "The Viking's Quest" combines both Maths and Vikings! you will find details of this on our Maths page.

Medieval

Norman Conquest Medieval Society and Feudalism Religion and Crusades Magna Carta and Parliament Black Death and Medicine Peasants Revolt

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group.

Understanding of the reasons castles were built, why they were built - and how they were laid out. Increased awareness of the different experiences of rich people and poor people - and of men, women and children.

Tudors

The Great Fire of London William Shakespeare Oliver Cromwell The Armada Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot Great Plague Restoration Period

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group.

Understanding of the history of the Tudor dynasty - and of what happened when Elizabeth I died. Increased awareness of the culture of the time - with particular reference to Shakespeare.

Industrial

Energy Technological Innovation Transportation Engineering

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group.

Understanding of what the Industrial revolution was, how it came about - and how it affected everyday lives. Increased awareness of the some of the lasting legacies (good and bad) of the Industrial Revolution.

Victorian

Crime and Punishment Queen Victoria Factories and The Workhouse

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group.

Understanding of aspects of the history and culture of the Victorians - with reference to the different experiences of rich people and poor people - and of men, women and children. Increased awareness of the lasting legacies of some notable Victorians

World War

How and why the War started War and the British Empire Trench Warfare Technological developments War Propaganda Women in wartime Air Raids Blitz and Battle of Britain The Home Front Rationing Evacuation D Day Landings and VE Day Drills and Marches

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group.

Understanding of how the wars came about - and what caused them. Increased awareness of ways the conflicts affected people in the UK, not just soldiers, sailors and aircrew.

Homing in on the Home Front - WWI
Our uniquely interactive 75 minute Time Travel Theatre performance, Homing in on the Home Front, offers pupils opportunities to explore ways that the War touched on every aspect of life – from the food people ate to the clothes that they wore to the precautions they took against invasion.

The programme exists in a range of flexible formats, allowing up to 420 pupils to experience it in a single day! Classes in one-form entry schools will have opportunities to take part in follow-up workshops – while selected pupils in larger schools will have chances to engage in Question and Answer sessions with the actors.

Although they live in the countryside, Ed and Flo Duckworth are still in danger from the enemy planes that fly overhead. So they combine running their farm with “doing their bit” – Flo as an Air Raid Warden and Ed as a private in the local Home Guard. Join them and their friends Vera the Land Girl and Cyril the Spiv as they begin to get used to the huge changes in their lives – including the impending arrival of a couple of evacuees!

There’ll be laughs and tears, singing and dancing as your pupils join these larger than life characters to Make Do and Mend, Save Kitchen Scraps – and Dig for Victory. Not forgetting that Walls Have Ears, of course!

The programme is particularly suited to Keys Stages 2 and 3 – but Years 1 and 2 will get a lot out of it, too. And we always welcome Reception classes for the first half hour or so!

Twentieth Century

All of our workshops are differentiated by outcome, which will vary depending on year group.

Preparations for Space mission; history, characteristics and composition of the moon; the Apollo 11 astronauts; the role of the moon in future space exploration.

Significant Individuals from History

Florence Nightingale - Legacies of the Lady with the Lamp
Florence Nightingale gained the nickname “The Lady with the Lamp” whilst caring for soldiers injured in the Crimean War. And our Time Travel Tourist programmes give you the opportunity to mark the occasion by inviting her into your school, running workshops allowing children to explore her life, her work - and how the different approaches to nursing developed by both her and the Jamaican-born Mary Seacole changed the medical world forever.

We have lots of other Time Travel Tourists available, too, including; Mrs Pankhurst, General Haig, Siegfried Sassoon and Kitty Wilkinson. So if there's someone that your pupils would like to meet - just ask!

Explorers

Exploring the World of Explorers KS1
From Leif Erikson to Neil Armstrong, and led by our modern day explorer, Major Tom, this workshop introduces KS1 pupils to some landmark people and moments in the history of global exploration. They’ll consider what it takes to be a great explorer (including remembering the need to respect other cultures), engage in drama activities unveiling some set-piece expeditions and complete beautifully illustrated Timelines to record and celebrate their learning.

Engineering

Do you offer access for visitors with disabilities?

All of our programmes can be easily adapted to meet the needs of pupils with access needs related to mobility. Where we are aware that we will be working with children with visual impairments, we are happy to provide schools with our resources in advance, so that they can be rendered accessible. We know that some schools use sign language interpreters for children with hearing impairments - and all of our practitioners are used to working in this way.

Do you cater for visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)?

We have huge experience of working with pupils with special educational needs - in both mainstream and special schools - and work with teachers and other professionals to select (and, if appropriate, adapt) the best programme to meet the needs of those pupils.

Anything else?

You can read lots of testimonials from teachers on our website, along with case studies and examples of our work. We would love to hear from you!

“The interactive performance was brilliant and the children thoroughly enjoyed it. The actors were lovely and worked really hard during the day - Thank you!” (Headteacher, Weston Primary School)

"The sessions were really hands-on and interactive and the children were always switched on. I feel they have learned a lot from the sessions and it will show in their upcoming history work. I know from discussions with the staff and pupils that it was an entirely enjoyable experience and you will be our first port of call for any future history topics. Thank you very much." (Rob Nixon, History Subject Leader, The Berkeley Primary School)

"Thank you for bringing your superb WW1 play and workshops to us last week. The children got so much out of the whole process and there was a lot of scope for us to follow up afterwards. Above all, the show was moving. I had been to see the poppies at the Tower of London the day before, but this small drama brought tears to my eyes for the small, human story of one village through the war. Thank you." (Helen Graff, Edith Neville Primary School)

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