Working with Early Years
Defined by the Early Years Foundation Stage as children under 5, Early Years are an increasingly important audience for museums. Research carried out by the South West Hub, demonstrated that pre-school children can engage with collections and benefit greatly from doing so.
All children are individuals and develop at their own speed. The Early Years is a time of rapid growth and development. Babies learning to move, talk and interact turn into children starting school, making friends and fascinated by the world around them. All young children like to learn through play and active exploration.
Use the publication ‘Close Encounters With Culture', to inform the development of provision for young visitors. Strategic Commissioning has also supported the development of provision for the 'Early Years with Learning Links' placements offering museum staff the opportunity to observe in settings and to collaborate on age appropriate resources with experienced practitioners.
We also have a comprehensive contact list, for Early Years practitioners, of registered and accredited museums in the South West who may be able to host a visit from an Early Years setting. Organised and collated by county, each leaflet provides the name and address of the museum, together with the telephone number and email address of the person most likely to be able to deal with an enquiry.
Registered and Accredited museums in Dorset (PDF 203KB)
Registered and Accredited museums in Devon (PDF 253KB)
Registered and Accredited museums in Somerset (PDF 171KB)
Registered and Accredited museums in Bristol & North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset (PDF 230KB)
Registered and Accredited museums in Cornwall (PDF 207KB)
Registered and Accredited museums in Gloucestershire (PDF 169KB)
Registered and Accredited museums in Wiltshire (PDF 176KB)
Working with Key Stages 1 and 2
For many museums, primary schools are one of their biggest audiences. They have developed curriculum-based resources and programmes, and produced loan boxes, websites and risk assessements to support teachers in their use of the museum.
Since the Primary National Strategy in 2003, primary schools have introduced more cross-curricular working. The Literacy and Numeracy frameworks have become less prescriptive, modern foreign languages are being introduced and the teaching of Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) and thinking and learning skills are increasing. All these changes offer opportunities and challenges for museums.
Some useful web sites:
Working with Key Stage 3
Catering for Key Stage 3 groups in museums can pose practical problems. Due to the logistics of the timetable, Key Stage 3 visits often involve half or a whole year group, which can be several hundred students. Subject based teaching can also mean very specific and highly focused curriculum interests.
The Key Stage 3 curriculum is currently undergoing major change. September 2008 saw the introduction of the revised National Curriculum Programmes of Study for Year 7, with a higher prominence given to skills, attitudes and attributes and a commitment to personalised learning.
Working with 14-19 year olds
Whilst many of the barriers to visiting, that apply to Key Stage 3, continue for core subjects such as Science, GCSE, 'AS' and 'A' Level groups studying optional subjects, such as Art, History, Photography and Travel & Tourism, find it more practical to use out of school resources. Museums across the South West support a range of exam courses and additional subjects like Citizenship. Group sizes are more manageable, and can use public transport or mini-buses. Post-16 courses have more flexibility in their timetable.
2008 to 2013 will see major changes in 14-19 qualifications, with new GCSE's and the introduction of Diplomas. These new and varied qualifications offer new opportunities for museums to support formal learning. Many museums are also working with young people in this age group outside of school. This might be through Extended School provision, through collaboration with youth services, or through setting up their own youth groups or projects.
Hub museum case studies:
Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum (PDF 390KB)
Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery (PDF 336KB)
Royal Albert Memorial Museum (PDF 336KB)
Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery (PDF 446)
Royal Cornwall Museum (PDF 382KB)
Other useful web sites:
Some useful downloads
Preparing for the future (PDF 2.6MB)
Delivering 14-19 Reform (PDF 977KB)
Working with Further and Higher Education
Further and Higher Education covers a huge range of ages and a vast range of qualifications, from apprenticeships to doctorates. Further Education (FE) is usually defined as formal education, post-16, that is not University education (HE) or in school (covered in 14-19).
FE and HE students are studying specific courses, and for a museum to be useful it needs to meet the needs of the course content. A discussion with a provider however can often uncover relevant courses, such as teacher training, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Design, Art History, History and even Science. Some providers offer courses directly related to the museum and heritage sector.
Some useful web links:
Working with Families
Families are a core audience for many museums across the South West. Most provision for families is focused on informal learning: activity programmes in school holidays, and/or weekends, exhibitions and interpretation, where families can learn and have fun together.
The publication 'Families, Learning and Culture', commissioned by MLA, gives a good overview of the kinds of experiences that museums typically offer. It also highlights the range of practical facilities that families need alongside active learning experiences.
The South West has been well represented in the 'Guardian Family Friendly Museum' awards with the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and North Somerset Museum being short-listed, and Falmouth Art Gallery - the national winner in 2006 - being short-listed twice.
Some useful web links:
More downloads:
Every Parent Matters (PDF 463KB)
Family Friendly Toolkit (PDF 484KB)
Project Stories - The Imaginators (PDF 139KB)
PAFE Full Report (PDF 2.2MB)
PAFE Summary Report (917KB)