About the Project

The project

My primary school is at the museum is a project which was developed by the Cultural Institute at King's College London against a backdrop of threatened museum services, a shortage of school places, and ever growing evidence to support the range of benefits of learning in cultural environments and through collections.

It tested the benefits of co-locating primary and nursery school classes for extended periods of time within a museum. The project began with an idea conceived by architect Wendy James: to one day see the creation of a permanent museum-school.

The project was supported under the Cultural Space Programme at King's College London.

The project team

As well as Wendy James, Architect and Partner at Garbers & James Architects, the team consists of:

• Katherine Bond (Director) and Sophie Branscombe (Innovation Manager), Cultural Institute at King's College London

• Dr. Jen DeWitt and Dr. Heather King, School of Education, Communication, & Society at King's College London. They provided educational support and academic advice.

• Kate Measures of Heritage Insider, who conducted an independent evaluation of the project.

The partnership

In order to pioneer this concept, a pilot study took place in which partnerships were established between three schools and three museums across the UK - in Swansea, Liverpool, and South Shields. The participating museums were The National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, Tate Liverpool, and Arbeia Roman Fort. Classes from two primary schools and one nursery took up residence in a museum or gallery for between two weeks and one term, whilst continuing to deliver the requirements of the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework.

The benefits

The findings of the pilot study have been published in a public report which can be downloaded here. This report outlines the benefits uncovered in the study for museums, schools, and children and their families. These have included:

• For children: increased confidence and improved social and communication skills; greater engagement with and sense of 'ownership' of local cultural spaces and

• places.

• For museums: a deeper understanding of younger audiences, enabling the development of more relevant, engaging programmes; an extended use of their spaces and collections.

• For schools and teachers: examples of creative ways in which to deliver the curriculum and confidence using out-of-classroom spaces.