Shrewsbury Prison - Education Behind Bars
Shrewsbury Prison School Trips
Why book 'Shrewsbury Prison - Education Behind Bars' with Shrewsbury Prison for School Trips and Educational Visits?
Shrewsbury Prison was built in 1793 and closed in 2013, with over 200 years of history behind its walls including the countries last remaining Georgian prison. This iconic heritage site is a unique location for educational visits, and one that not many people get the opportunity to discover.Many of our current educational visits come to discover more about crime and punishment through the ages, Victorian history, Georgian history, capital punishment, law, rehabilitation, and the effects of crime on the victims and families. As the prison dates back to 1793 it is also frequently visited by students of Architecture, Citizenship, Media Studies, RE and Geography.
Our Education Behind Bars Programme is designed by educationalists, aligned with the national curriculum, tailored to your students’ Key Stage and can be adapted according to your needs; along with a wide range of activities that can be included in your visit such as our popular Escape Rooms. Our perceptive ‘In-Cell Experience,’ included on the Guided Tour allows your students to experience the realities of life behind bars.
Your visit will include 2 prison wings, constant watch cells, segregation unit, healthcare, exercise yards and the execution room, including the cell where the condemned prisoner spent his last night (this can be excluded from the tour if preferred).
The tour will be adapted to the school year, curriculum and what you as a teacher want to achieve. As well as being educational, some educational organisations will use the experience as a preventative tool – bringing home the harsh reality of prison life.
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What activities are available during group visits?
As a starting point for all students, we offer a Guided Tour of the prison, enhanced by the In-Cell Experience. The tour is led by a Prison Officer with a wealth of knowledge and stories to tell. Your visit will include 2 prison wings, constant watch cells, segregation unit, healthcare, exercise yards and the execution room, including the cell where the condemned prisoner spent his last night (this can be excluded from the tour if preferred).
Students will learn what it was like to be incarcerated from the Victorian era to the modern day and there will be plenty of opportunities for questions and engagement between the students and Prison Officers.
All Education Behind Bars visits will include:
Guided Tour led by a Prison Officer
In-Cell Experience
Education Activity (aligned with national curriculum)
Self-Guided Discovery Activity
Education Behind Bars Pack for each student
Private Education Room
Add on activities can be included, with a wide range to choose from and each visit can be tailored to your exact requirements.
Students will learn what it was like to be incarcerated from the Victorian era to the modern day and there will be plenty of opportunities for questions and engagement between the students and Prison Officers.
All Education Behind Bars visits will include:
Guided Tour led by a Prison Officer
In-Cell Experience
Education Activity (aligned with national curriculum)
Self-Guided Discovery Activity
Education Behind Bars Pack for each student
Private Education Room
Add on activities can be included, with a wide range to choose from and each visit can be tailored to your exact requirements.
Which Curriculum Subjects do you cater for?
Curriculum topics available: Crime and Punishment, Laws and the justice system, Team building, Alcohol and drugs awareness, Gangs Awareness, Politics and parliament, Human rights and international law, Functions and uses of money, Personal development and resilience, Criminology, Monarchy, Democracy, British Values, Diversity and Inclusion.
The main subjects we cover under Citizenship are: crime & punishment, law & the justice system and alcohol & drug awareness. The Tour Guide will naturally cover crime and punishment (the reason prisoners are in jail), how the justice system works (how much of a sentence a prisoner serves, how often they can see their solicitor, etc) and if appropriate how alcohol and drugs play a part. They will discuss, if required how those on drugs/alcohol will be medically treated in prison and the various programmes they can join to aid their rehabilitation.Curriculum topics available: Drug and alcohol awareness, Right and Wrong, Gangs Awareness, Mental health and awareness, Morality, Teamwork and resilience, Anti-bullying, Diversity and Inclusion.
We cover drug and alcohol awareness and rehabilitation as above under 'Citizenship', right and wrong falls naturally when discussing why people are in prison i.e. they have committed a 'wrong'. We can also cover the 'rights & wrongs' once within prison and how prisoners gain elevated status and more benefits. Gang participation can often be a reason why prisoners end up in jail and there is also a gang culture within a jail.Curriculum topics available: Crime and Punishment.
Shrewsbury prison was built during the Victorian period and very much reflects the ethos of the time. This period was about punishment and breaking the will of the prisoner as a deterrent rather than rehabilitation, as imprisonment has developed today.Prisoners would have been assigned hard labour tasks as a form of punishment.
We can discuss twentieth century history from a crime and punishment perspective and how the views changed from punishment to rehabilitation. The Tour Guide can also discuss how and when sanitation was introduced into cells and the effect of that.
Many of our current educational visits come to discover more about crime and punishment through the ages, Victorian history, capital punishment, rehabilitation and the effects of crime on the victims and families, as the prison dates back to 1793.
Shrewsbury Prison, also known as The Dana, was completed in 1793 and named after Rev Edmund Dana.
The original building was constructed by Thomas Telford, following plans by Shrewsbury Architect, John Hiram Haycock.
With over 200 years of history behind its walls including the countries last remaining Georgian prison as well as the Victorian building you see today. Students can access areas they are unable to see anywhere else and learn more about the architects who built them.
The original building was constructed by Thomas Telford, following plans by Shrewsbury Architect, John Hiram Haycock.
With over 200 years of history behind its walls including the countries last remaining Georgian prison as well as the Victorian building you see today. Students can access areas they are unable to see anywhere else and learn more about the architects who built them.
Shrewsbury Prison visits discuss the changes in local history and how crime & punishment changed within the local town.
Curriculum topics available: Dyslexia Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia, Autistic Spectrum, Disabled Toilet Access, Partially Wheelchair Accessible, Emotional and Behavioural Disorders, General Learning Difficulties.
Created by a team of specialists in education and history, the Education Behind Bars Programme is aligned with the national curriculum and has been designed to support learning through thought provoking exercises and activities.We provide supportive learning materials for teachers, which can be taken back into the classroom, ensuring school visits are truly educational and reach beyond the traditional.
Educational trips can be tailored specifically to your students' needs to create the desired outcome.
What size groups do you cater for?
Boasting a vast site, we cater for a minimum of 8 students all the way up to 1500.
Do you offer on-site classroom facilities?
Our specially designed programme of Educational Activities are delivered in our bespoke education rooms. Led by a trained facilitator, activities are group led discussions capturing the students’ curiosity and triggering their imagination.
Each Education Activity has been designed alongside the national curriculum. By the end of the programme students will be able to;
Key Stage 2, PRU & SEN groups:
Describe the main causes of crime in Victorian England
Describe the different types of punishment and how prisons came to be built
Describe how it would have felt to be a prisoner in the 19th century
Key Stage 3 & 4:
Understand the meaning of keywords such as deterrent and rehabilitation
Understand how the nature of crimes and associated punishments have changed over the centuries
Debate the pros and cons of The Death Penalty (capital punishment)
Key Stage 5 & Universities:
Debate how the media can influence how people and society think about crime and punishment
Understand the role the media plays in public perception about certain types of crime and the impact of public perception on punishment, reform, and rehabilitation
Consider how the media can misrepresent the nature of crime.
Outcomes and focuses can be tailored to your students’ needs.
Our Self-Guided Discovery is supported by your Tour Guides, students will explore Shrewsbury Prison in small groups. Completing Activity Booklets, which have been designed to engage and educate students in an immersive and informal manner.
Each student will be provided with an Activity Booklet to complete, and your Tour Guide will be on hand to support students in their journey behind bars.
Once complete students will reconvene to compare their answers, before being awarded their Certificate of Completion.
Each student will receive an Education Behind Bars pack containing;
Educational Activity
Activity Booklet
Site Map
Certificate of Completion
Each Education Activity has been designed alongside the national curriculum. By the end of the programme students will be able to;
Key Stage 2, PRU & SEN groups:
Describe the main causes of crime in Victorian England
Describe the different types of punishment and how prisons came to be built
Describe how it would have felt to be a prisoner in the 19th century
Key Stage 3 & 4:
Understand the meaning of keywords such as deterrent and rehabilitation
Understand how the nature of crimes and associated punishments have changed over the centuries
Debate the pros and cons of The Death Penalty (capital punishment)
Key Stage 5 & Universities:
Debate how the media can influence how people and society think about crime and punishment
Understand the role the media plays in public perception about certain types of crime and the impact of public perception on punishment, reform, and rehabilitation
Consider how the media can misrepresent the nature of crime.
Outcomes and focuses can be tailored to your students’ needs.
Our Self-Guided Discovery is supported by your Tour Guides, students will explore Shrewsbury Prison in small groups. Completing Activity Booklets, which have been designed to engage and educate students in an immersive and informal manner.
Each student will be provided with an Activity Booklet to complete, and your Tour Guide will be on hand to support students in their journey behind bars.
Once complete students will reconvene to compare their answers, before being awarded their Certificate of Completion.
Each student will receive an Education Behind Bars pack containing;
Educational Activity
Activity Booklet
Site Map
Certificate of Completion
Is there first aid on site?
We have dedicated first aid trained staff on site at all times, and a first aid room.
Do you offer access for visitors with disabilities?
We regret we can’t offer disabled access to the upper floors due to the age of the building. However, the ground floor is completely accessible for wheelchairs, and we have disabled toilet facilities.
Do you cater for visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)?
Yes, we do. We would love to have a chat with you prior to the visit in order to ensure we are catering to your students' needs. Our Education Behind Bars Programme can be tailored according to your students' needs and outcomes.
Anything else?
The feedback we receive from schools is first class, with teachers telling us that the pupils were very engaged, imaginations were fired and lessons on every level were learnt.
“I took my Psychology students to Shrewsbury Prison, as they were studying forensic psychology and custodial sentencing. They were enthralled from the moment they saw the ‘meat wagon’ as they arrived. The tour was very informative - with Officer Graham providing many real-life stories from his experience of working at the prison. The cell experience was also a firm favourite with the students - and the teachers! Overall, it was an excellent visit, which sparked much debate on the way home and the following day in lessons. Looking forward to returning next year and would highly recommend to others.”
- Miss Hadley, Head of Psychology at Birkenhead School
You can read our educational reviews on the news section of our website.
Please get in touch with our dedicated sales team for any further information
“I took my Psychology students to Shrewsbury Prison, as they were studying forensic psychology and custodial sentencing. They were enthralled from the moment they saw the ‘meat wagon’ as they arrived. The tour was very informative - with Officer Graham providing many real-life stories from his experience of working at the prison. The cell experience was also a firm favourite with the students - and the teachers! Overall, it was an excellent visit, which sparked much debate on the way home and the following day in lessons. Looking forward to returning next year and would highly recommend to others.”
- Miss Hadley, Head of Psychology at Birkenhead School
You can read our educational reviews on the news section of our website.
Please get in touch with our dedicated sales team for any further information
Who are Shrewsbury Prison?
Shrewsbury Prison is the world’s most interactive prison, that inspires people, educating, engaging and immersing visitors through a journey behind bars.
Our mission is to preserve, protect and promote the history and heritage of Shrewsbury Prison, by shining a light on prison life from the Georgian era to the modern day. Visitors are given a unique and immersive prison experience combined with first class customer service.
Shrewsbury Prison was built in 1793 and closed in 2013, with over 200 years of history behind its walls including the countries last remaining Georgian prison.
Teacher Checklist
Risk Assessments Resource Packs
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