Taking pride in Local History

The Heritage Schools Event

The Heritage Hub was delighted to welcome representatives from fourteen schools as well as several local heritage sites on Friday 30 September. No mean feat for a training day during term time! The training day, led by Michael Gorely of Historic England and Jacqui Grange of Voices Gloucester, was supported by Gloucestershire Archives and other members of the Gloucester Heritage Forum.

The day aimed to help teachers localise their History Curriculum, as well as enable them to understand how to attain Heritage Schools status (if they wished). Heritage Schools status is an officially recognised threshold, meaning that the school has developed an understanding of their local heritage and its significance. However, the training could be done for its own sake too.

At a time when coaches are the largest expense when it comes to out-of-classroom experiences, the training aimed to enthuse teachers to explore their immediate vicinity on foot. Armed with maps, trade directories, censuses and newspapers, not to mention the naked eye, the training encouraged teachers to seek out what is special about the local area. This in turn would give children a sense of pride in where they live and encourage communities to be more involved in the life of the school.

The day included a presentation by Michael, packed full of helpful hints on how to place the pupils at the centre of the enquiry. Voices Gloucester gave a helpful talk with some great videos and Gloucestershire Archives gave a tour and opportunity to view some of the collections. The teachers were given a period of time to discuss their plans, a useful networking event which led to teachers swapping contact details and planning joint initiatives. Teachers were then able to meet representatives from some of the local heritage sites and make important connections with those who could help with future endeavours. This also enabled Heritage providers to gain a greater awareness of the needs of local schools.