Why book a school trip to Liverpool?
National Museums LiverpoolLiverpool is an amazing place for anybody to visit, but there are a number of things that make it a top destination for school trips too, from its location and transport links to its huge cultural offer. Here are just some of the reasons that you should take your students to Liverpool to learn, and how you can use the city’s museums and galleries to engage them with topics from the curriculum.
A fascinating past
From its beginnings on the River Mersey at the turn of the first millennium to being awarded the European Capital of Culture in 2008, Liverpool’s past is incredibly interesting and its links to important topics in the curriculum are endless.
The best place to learn about the city’s history is at the Museum of Liverpool. Its amazing collections span more than 10,000 years of Merseyside's history, with areas including social and community history, archaeology, the King's Regiment, and transport. Its Learning team offer dedicated curriculum-linked workshops for schools and groups on topics like Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, and life in Victorian Liverpool, to name a few.
Maritime history and its modern legacies
Central to Liverpool’s history is the River Mersey and its docks, both of which played an important role in Liverpool becoming one of the world's leading port cities. Students can explore this history of trade and industry through Museum of Liverpool’s collections and there’s also a ‘River Mersey - gateway to the world’ workshop available to KS2 students which explores these topics.
Another element of Liverpool’s seafaring past relevant to the curriculum is the RMS Titanic. Titanic was registered in Liverpool, its managing company - the White Star Line - had its head office in the city, and around about 1 in 10 of Titanic’s crew on the tragic voyage were from Merseyside or had close links with the area. Museum of Liverpool’s sister venue, Maritime Museum, is an amazing place for EYFS, KS1 and KS2 students to learn about the city’s links to Titanic and the stories of its passengers.
Any student visiting Liverpool should also learn about the city’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. Between 1700 and 1807, ships from Liverpool carried about 1.5 million people from throughout West Africa and West Central Africa across the Atlantic in conditions of great cruelty. Located within the Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum shares the untold stories of these enslaved people, and encourages visitors to learn about historical and contemporary slavery. The museum’s Learning team offers dedicated workshops for KS2 and KS3 students which explores the impacts and legacies of transatlantic slavery.
Historic buildings and architecture
One of the legacies of transatlantic slavery in Liverpool is the number of buildings and streets built by those who made their fortune by forcibly uprooting people from throughout West Africa and West Central Africa, and shipping them across the Atlantic. While Liverpool is architecturally stunning, many prestigious buildings - like its Town Hall - have complex histories like this that are very important to learn about. KS2 and KS3 students can explore this and related themes in sessions at the International Slavery Museum.
Younger students can start to examine Liverpool’s skyline and architecture in sessions at the Museum of Liverpool. ‘Little Liverpool’ sessions for EYFS and KS1 students give children the opportunity to get hands-on with gallery walls and water interactives, while the museum’s ‘Liverpool’s Best Buildings’ workshop uses a cityscape to encourage students to look for buildings and features they recognise, and examine colours, patterns and shapes.
Rich in railway and transport heritage
As well as being known for its maritime history, Liverpool is also famed for its railway and transport heritage. Indeed, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway - the first modern inter-city passenger railway with a scheduled service in the world - started here in 1830. Museum of Liverpool is home to an array of transport objects including the Lion locomotive, which used to work the line.
KS1 students can explore different forms of transport through time with a fun interactive tour as part of the museum’s ‘Then and now: transport’ workshop. They’ll get up close to displays and discover how transport has changed over time by investigating how materials, technology, and design have evolved.
The city’s incredible cultural offer
As well as sessions at Museum of Liverpool, Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum, the Learning team at National Museums Liverpool also offer workshops at World Museum and Walker Art Gallery, both of which are a few steps away from Liverpool Lime Street train station in the heart of the city.
World Museum is home to millions of incredible objects and boasts a planetarium and aquarium. As well as workshops about outer space and sea life, there’s also sessions on Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Greece and Rome. Its neighbour, the Walker Art Gallery, offers creative, hands-on gallery tours as well as detailed sessions on subjects like portraiture and Greek mythology.
All of National Museums Liverpool’s workshops are linked to the curriculum and have clear learning outcomes. The sessions are led by experienced facilitators who use fascinating collections, inspiring exhibitions and amazing stories to engage your students.
There are sessions for various age groups, from EYFS up to post-16 students. For most workshops, prices range from £49 to £99 per class, and they can cater for up to 30-32 students. If your school is finding the price of school trips and associated travel prohibitive, please check National Museums Liverpool’s website to see if there are any bursaries available to you.
If you are interested in hearing a bit more about how National Museums Liverpool can help you with planning your next school visit then why not get in touch here.
Maritime Museum
Maritime Museum offers curriculum-linked workshops for schools and groups, where students can learn about the Titanic and its passengers.
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World Museum - Virtual Classroom
World Museum's virtual classroom on mummification in ancient Egypt takes students through the various stages of the embalming process and offers a pop quiz based on the museum’s handling collection and ancient Egyptian artefacts.
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International Slavery Museum
International Slavery Museum offers a selection of curriculum-linked workshops for schools and groups, from a session exploring the impacts of the transatlantic slave trade, to fascinating tours of the museum.
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Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery offers a fantastic selection of curriculum-linked workshops for groups, from its popular 'Storytelling with the Greeks' session - taking place in front of an epic painting - to 'Tour and Draw', an exciting guided experience.
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Museum of Liverpool
Museum of Liverpool offers a great selection of curriculum-linked workshops for schools and groups, from a session exploring local transport to an arty 'Best Buildings' workshop all about Liverpool's stunning landscape.
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Special Ancient Greece schools offer at World Museum
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Ufton Court Children's Charity
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Steam Railway Museum - Living History & Hands On Learning!
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