Our sessions for schools are very popular and need to be booked well in advance. They can be delivered by our Education Officers in one of three ways. We offer:
- workshops on site here at Kew
- videoconferencing sessions using specialist equipment and requiring registration with JANET
- virtual classroom sessions delivered over an ordinary internet connection using our Blackboard Collaborate service
All of our taught sessions are designed to fit in with the requirements of the National Curriculum for history or relevant exam syllabi. They are delivered by qualified teachers, or in some cases by costumed actors, and are free of charge.
See what type of session would suit your group best.
Workshops
All workshops take place in our Education Room; a pupil-friendly, welcoming, purpose built classroom, equipped with interactive whiteboard, computers, audiovisual equipment and an induction loop.
Students will work with original documents on engaging enquiries which aim to broaden their historical understanding and stimulate their imaginations.
The maximum group size for workshops is 35.
We have a requirement of one adult per 15 students with a minimum of two adults for each group. The minimum group size for a workshop is eight students.
For more information on the range of sessions available, go to our workshop page.
Videoconferences
If your school is too far away to make a visit to The National Archives, we are able to offer some of our workshops via videoconference. You will need access to videoconference equipment for making the link to us and a (free) account with JANET's JVCS booking service.For more information on the range of videoconferencing sessions available, go to our videoconferencing page.
Virtual classroom sessions
We can also offer a number of our sessions online using Blackboard Collaborate. Students use a dedicated login to join a live session with an Education Officer through their web browser.
Students can analyse and annotate documents using the interface and ask questions over the microphone or in the chatbox.
You can see which of our sessions can be delivered via the virtual classroom on this page.
