History at Sidegate fires pupils’ curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world while engaging our teachers and pupils across a range of curriculum subjects. At the core of this is sustaining and developing a culture of enquiry.
Pioneered by our history coordinator, our child-curated museum has been a major project at Sidegate this year. An exciting enterprise, it continues to provide pupils with opportunities to develop and curate the Sidegate museum – to share artefacts and showcase learning with the school and wider community.
Our museum is a school-wide project which enables each year group to play a part within its creation. Each year group has its own section where they can display and celebrate one of their recent topics. Topics on display in the museum include science, history and geography and children’s work on display comes from a varied and cross-curricular approach.
Each class has their own curator, who has had to apply for their position. Curators are responsible for collecting pieces of work and artefacts, thus making the museum a child-led project.
Technology also plays a large role within our museum. QR codes are easily accessible and can be scanned by children in order to find out more information, developing their thirst for knowledge. Curators are given ownership by updating their section of the museum website, which involves uploading photos, writing information and providing other links that children can visit.
The aim is for the museum to be an interactive area which enables children to build on their enquiry skills and develop a sense of curiosity.
Subject leaders have also been involved in the project, making historical links within their own areas to promote lines of enquiry using questioning and open-ended learning techniques. Through cross-curricular connections children gain the confidence to build links between the “then and now”, and ask “what if?”.
At Sidegate, history means that our pupils study artefacts, find evidence, weigh it up and reach their own conclusions. They learn to research, sift through evidence and argue for their point of view. They experience what it is like to be archaeologists, journalists, researchers, documentary presenters and museum curators. Travelling back in time enables our pupils to understand and experience how those before us lived.
Successfully engaging the support of senior leadership, as well as the governing body, has been an integral part of igniting and carrying the project forward.
Building a healthy working relationship with the history governor is helping to promote and sustain a good understanding of the vision for history and culture at Sidegate. Our history governor has been on a recent trip to Norwich museum with our year 3 classes and has come in to watch history lessons being delivered – these help give him a clear idea of how history is being taught, and a clear perspective on the school vision.
Engaging pupils from the start has energised them as learners. They have had ownership of the project, and as a result it has given them value and self-worth. They are interested in what happens to it and have been able to identify themselves as curators and historians.
Keeping parents informed about projects such as this is of paramount importance too. Not only does it enhance their view of the school, but it provides them the opportunity to see the work their children produce. Parents’ evenings and our “share events” allow for parents and family members to witness our museum develop. They can also experience the interactivity of the museum and are able to appreciate the high standards work that has been produced.
Designing the museum with children in mind is an important step in order to make it an interactive learning environment. Paying attention to every little detail has a real impact on the overall feel of the museum. Selecting bright colours, easy-to-read fonts and interactive displays arranged at child height were a key part of the design.
We see this as a project that will always be evolving and changing. An important aspect that is being forged is initiating and sustaining relationships with museums and other historical organisations. Enabling historians and museum curators within our community to know the needs and requirements schools have is vital to ensure our young learners continue to have a thirst for enquiring about the world around them.
- Jane Ryder is arts and culture coordinator and Emma Annis history coordinator at Sidegate Primary School in Ipswich, which is part of the Active Learning Trust.
Further information
For more on the arts and culture work of Sidegate Primary, see our previous article, A central role for the arts, Headteacher Update, January 2016: http://bit.ly/1Og89Wn