Shepton Mallet Somerset BA4 5FQ
Shepton Mallet Prison was built in 1625 and closed in 2013, with over 400 years of history to uncover. 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 1625, 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 educational 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 an 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 Jacobean era to the modern day and there will be plenty of opportunities for questions and engagement between the students and officers.
All Education Behind Bars visits will include:
Guided Tour led by an 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 Jacobean era to the modern day and there will be plenty of opportunities for questions and engagement between the students and officers.
All Education Behind Bars visits will include:
Guided Tour led by an 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 topics do we cater for?
Citizenship School Trip
Diversity and Inclusion Human rights and international law Crime and Punishment Laws and the justice system Alcohol and drugs awareness Gangs Awareness Criminology Functions and uses of money Personal development and resilience Politics and parliament Monarchy Democracy British Values
Curriculum topics available: Crime and punishment, Laws and the justice system, Team building, Alcohol and drugs awareness, Gangs Awareness, Human rights and international law, Criminology.
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.
PSHE School Trip
Drug and alcohol awareness Teamwork and resilience Right and Wrong Gangs Awareness Mental health and awareness Morality
Provides meaningful insight into how society's views on justice, responsibility, and human rights have changed over time.
Through Guided Tours and authentic stories and a workshop activity, students engage with challenging topics such as capital and corporal punishment, historic prison conditions, and the treatment of vulnerable individuals. These experiences prompt informed discussion around fairness, consequences, rehabilitation and the moral implications of punishment.
The visit supports key PSHE goals by developing empathy, critical thinking, resilience, and ethical awareness, helping students understand how laws and values shape personal and social responsibility in modern society.
Georgian School Trip
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 before the Georgian times.
Victorian School Trip
Crime and Punishment
Parts of Shepton Mallet Prison were built during the Victorian period and very much reflects the ethos of the time. It was about punishment rather than rehabilitation as it is today
Twentieth Century School Trip
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
Fieldstudies School Trip
Towns and Cities
Shepton Mallet Prison offers a range of subjects which can be undertaken during your visit. These include Psychology & Sociology, Crime & Punishment, prison through the ages, Law, History, Citizenship, RE, PSHE, Architecture, Tourism & Events, Media & Marketing
Archaeology School Trip
Shepton Mallet Prison was built in 1625, with over 400 years of history behind its walls including the countries last remaining Georgian prison. Students can access areas they are unable to see anywhere else and learn more about the architects who built them.
Local History School Trip
Shepton Mallet Prison visits discuss the changes in local history and how crime & punishment changed within the local town.
What size groups do we cater for?
10 - 150
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 different types of hard labour
Describe how it would have felt to be a prisoner in the 19th century
Key Stage 3:
Understand the meaning of key words such as deterrent and rehabilitation
Understand how the nature of crimes and associated punishments have changed over the centuries
Describe how patterns of social trends, attitudes in society, individuals as well as institutions (religion, science, technology) impact how crime and punishment have changed
Understand changing definitions of crime over the last 400 years
Key Stage 4:
Using a case study, debate the pros and cons of the Death Penalty (capital punishment)
Debate the use of corporal punishment
Describe the meaning of four key words: Deterrent, Reformation, Retribution and Protection
Understood alternatives to Prison and how they are used in a modern society (parole, court fines, community service orders, electronic tagging and probation)
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 from the 1960’s and the era of the Krays up to modern day and ‘county lines’.
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 different types of hard labour
Describe how it would have felt to be a prisoner in the 19th century
Key Stage 3:
Understand the meaning of key words such as deterrent and rehabilitation
Understand how the nature of crimes and associated punishments have changed over the centuries
Describe how patterns of social trends, attitudes in society, individuals as well as institutions (religion, science, technology) impact how crime and punishment have changed
Understand changing definitions of crime over the last 400 years
Key Stage 4:
Using a case study, debate the pros and cons of the Death Penalty (capital punishment)
Debate the use of corporal punishment
Describe the meaning of four key words: Deterrent, Reformation, Retribution and Protection
Understood alternatives to Prison and how they are used in a modern society (parole, court fines, community service orders, electronic tagging and probation)
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 from the 1960’s and the era of the Krays up to modern day and ‘county lines’.
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.
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 a disabled toilet.
Visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Shepton Mallet Prison provides an inclusive educational experience regardless of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background or educational needs.
We provide a tailor made educational programme specifically designed to assist and support educational learning to SEN and PRU Groups. Shepton Mallet Prison provides an inclusive educational experience regardless of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background or educational needs.
We provide a tailor made educational programme specifically designed to assist and support educational learning to SEN and PRU Groups.
Anything else?
TESTIMONIALS:
'We took over 60 Psychology students to Shepton Mallet Prison. Students took part in a tour of the prison, and 2 activities appropriately titled 'Cell Escape' and 'The Prisoner Experience.' This experience will be invaluable, as students will be looking at Criminal Psychology topic in Year 11.
Their highly qualified guides raised students' curiosity to know more about the past and to think critically about the punishment from the Jacobean era to the modern-day.Both guides commented on how lovely and attentive our students were! Thanks again and would definitely go again!' - Wayne Davies, Head of Psychology, Heathfield Community School
'The students thought it was brilliant! They found it absolutely fascinating, and I am really grateful for having had the talk and tour from Maurice. Maurice was excellent and his stories and the case studies he described were very interesting. It sparked some really good conversations back at school and gave the students some real insight into the punishment and the prison system.' - Educator from Talbot Heath
'We took over 60 Psychology students to Shepton Mallet Prison. Students took part in a tour of the prison, and 2 activities appropriately titled 'Cell Escape' and 'The Prisoner Experience.' This experience will be invaluable, as students will be looking at Criminal Psychology topic in Year 11.
Their highly qualified guides raised students' curiosity to know more about the past and to think critically about the punishment from the Jacobean era to the modern-day.Both guides commented on how lovely and attentive our students were! Thanks again and would definitely go again!' - Wayne Davies, Head of Psychology, Heathfield Community School
'The students thought it was brilliant! They found it absolutely fascinating, and I am really grateful for having had the talk and tour from Maurice. Maurice was excellent and his stories and the case studies he described were very interesting. It sparked some really good conversations back at school and gave the students some real insight into the punishment and the prison system.' - Educator from Talbot Heath
Who are Shepton Mallet Prison?
Shepton Mallet Prison is a world class tourism experience 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 Shepton Mallet Prison, by shining a light on prison life from the Jacobean era to the modern day. Visitors are given a unique and immersive prison experience combined with first class customer service.
Shepton Mallet Prison was built in 1625 and closed in 2013, making it the countries oldest prison. with over 400 years of history behind its high walls, Shepton Mallet Prison is a must-see heritage site.
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