Pilot Studies:

During the live pilots, the class teachers/early years practitioners from the educational institutions were responsible for the well-being of the children, pastoral care, and learning.

Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum and Hadrian Primary School

The Year 5 class from Hadrian Primary School participated in one of the pilot studies, linking with Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum and using it as a ‘second classroom’ for three months, from January to March 2016. The class teacher was inspired by Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum’s spaces and collections to look beyond the obvious link with history, and dip into other subjects such as science and geography, and devising a wealth of writing prompts.

There have been positive impacts for Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum, for Hadrian Primary School, and for the children. Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum have benefited through the solid foundation provided by the project, which has resulted in a strong relationship with the school, with the potential for reaching out to other local schools.

Overwhelmingly positive feedback from the participating class has left the whole school enthused. Teachers are now considering Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum a valuable and easily accessible teaching asset, and parents are also impressed by the enthusiasm shown by their children.

The visits to Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum have opened up children’s minds to an impressive piece of history and increased their thirst for learning. Their literacy and vocabulary skills were enhanced through writing historical diaries and updating the school’s social media.

National Waterfront Museum, Swansea and St Thomas Community Primary School

The partnership in Swansea, South Wales, was comprised of pupils from St Thomas Community Primary School, and the National Waterfront Museum. Two different live pilots were held between these partners, with two sets of classes and their class teachers.

There were a number of positive impacts on the pupils, as reported by teachers. These were primarily personal growth and development, such as the children feeling more relaxed and confident. The children participated in ‘family style’ dining at the museum, and this resulted in improved relationship development between the children and between teachers and children. It was also evident that the children benefitted from the broad range of activities offered in the out-of-the-classroom environment.

The pilot has pushed teachers to be more creative and to rely less on classroom resources. It pushed individual teachers to innovate and push boundaries. Teachers involved in the pilot had a new appreciation that museum learning can be very relevant to younger age groups, for example, more trips are now being planned for younger age groups at the school.

Tate Liverpool and Life Bank Nursery at Kensington Children’s Centre

Children at the Life Bank Nursery in Liverpool spent two weeks at Tate Liverpool, from the 29^th of February to the 11^th of March 2016. The children were based in the gallery’s Clore Learning Centre, and were encouraged to explore the gallery’s resources, moving from one space to another to develop their interests.

The residency allowed Tate Liverpool an excellent opportunity to observe how very young children accessed the collection over an extended period. There were a number of benefits for the children in attendance, including boosting their confidence and independence through being able to choose their own meals at lunch time, and eating with a knife and fork. The children particularly enjoyed dancing and mixing with other gallery visitors. Overall, it had a great impact on the children. They developed new friendships and increased confidence in speaking, particularly in group discussions.

The main challenges surrounded resources at Tate Liverpool, which meant that it was difficult to find the space to house a two-week residency for a class of nursery children. Extra staff could have relieved the pressure on the adults supervising activities.

Picture credits: Amgueddfa Cymru, Colin Davison, Laura Luxton, Jake Ryan, Claire Stallwood