 |
|
BRUNEL’S ss Great Britain has put Bristol on the map again and is celebrating success once more after their receiving the nationally recognised Sandford Award – this time for their education programme.
The Sandford Award, given by the Heritage Education Trust, is a benchmark for high quality heritage education, recognising quality and excellence in educational services. |
The award is presented annually and lasts five years, and in order to win an award, a historic site must satisfy a number of criteria. For instance it must offer workshops that are relevant to the National Curriculum and raise awareness of local and national heritage. Taking part in a workshop must also significantly enhance students’ visits.
Teachers bringing school groups to Brunel’s ss Great Britain are able to choose from a range of education workshops tailored to the needs of Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. Workshops include Victorians at Sea, Sketch and Sea!, Brunel our Engineering Hero and Passenger Investigation. Groups taking part in booked workshops are greeted at the stern of the ship and teachers are given a free Education Pack, a comprehensive learning resource packed with ideas and activities designed to inspire pupils and bring their studies to life.
The judge of the award produced a report praising the way in which members of the education staff engage students with the heritage that underpins the ship, its artefacts and history.
When describing schools’ visitor experience, Eric Steed, Heritage Education Trust Judge, said “…the greetings are friendly, setting the tone for the entire visit, and the knowledge and presentation skills of the staff are exemplary and willingly shared.”
“Having been aided to appreciate the innovative technology of the ship, the lives and thoughts of the people who manned and sailed in her- all based on understanding and scholarship- the visitor rightly knows that the day with Brunel's ‘greatest experiment’ could not have been better spent.”
Helen Horler, Education & Access Officer for Brunel’s ss Great Britain said “We are thrilled to be recognised for the successful education programme we offer – we work hard with the visitor services staff and volunteers to provide a fantastic experience for teachers and pupils.. All of us in the education team take pride in actively engaging with children in our workshops. Children get the chance to handle Victorian objects or dress up as a Victorian passenger – the workshops are designed to fire their imagination and imagine what life was like living on board the ss Great Britain. Not only are all our workshops and Education Pack closely linked to the National Curriculum, but they also extend learning beyond it. We are keen to continually improve our education programme by consulting teachers through focus groups.”
- For more information about school visits and education workshops go to ssgreatbritain.org.
- To book a school visit or education workshop, call 0117 926 0680.
Bookmark this page
What's this?