Curriculum Links
Portchester Castle covers multiple time periods within the history curriculum, as well as cross-curricular links across numerous subjects.
- KS1 History: Identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different time periods; significant historical events, people and places in their own locality
- KS2 History: The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain. Britain's settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots. A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends the pupils' chronological knowledge beyond 1066
- KS2-3 History: A local history study
- KS3 History: The development of church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509. Ideas, political power, industry & empire: Britain 1745-1901: the French Revolutionary wars & Napoloeonic wars
- KS4 History: GCSE OCR Spec B: History Around Us
Free Self-Led Visits
Enjoy a free self-led visit to Portchester Castle and design your own day to suit your curriculum needs. Walk within the Roman walls, explore the ruins of Richard II's Palace and stand at the top of the Great Tower to survey the landscape. Discover the more recent history of the castle as a prison during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, when it housed up to 8,000 prisoners at any one time, including black and mixed race prisoners from the Caribbean. Download our resources at the bottom of this page for historical information and activity suggestions to support your visit.
Enquire nowExpert-led Discovery Visits
Sandford Award Winner 2023!
Immerse your class in the history of Portchester Castle. Our costumed re-enactors will lead your pupils on an award-winning Discovery Visit. At just £100 per session, they're a great way to delve deeper into the history of the castle and the people who lived there.
Find out moreCan you identify our mystery Roman object?
Come and play history detectives with your pupils to commemorate 1900 years since construction started on Hadrian’s Wall. Examine a special, 3D printed Roman object from our English Heritage collection and, using your historical enquiry skills, see if you can correctly guess what it is. Visit us for free at Portchester Castle and all will be revealed! You’ll also see the real item for yourselves.
Find Out MorePlan Your Trip
We have a wide range of materials to support your visit and make school trip planning easy. You can find all our site-specific information and tools below, and further information on our what to expect page.
Download our free resources to help you make the most out of your visit and create unique learning experiences before, during and after your trip. We also offer free planning visits once you have made a booking, plus a 20% discount on the official English Heritage guidebook for your place of choice.
Once you book your visit you’ll be sent a visit permit, which you’ll need to bring with you on the day.
Visit our bookings page to start planning your trip!
Learning Resources
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Portchester Castle Teachers' Kit (KS1-KS4+)
Our Teachers’ Kits feature historical information and activity suggestions for group leaders of various subjects and key stages.
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Performance at Portchester Castle Learning Pack (KS2-KS4)
Explore the story of the French Prisoners and their theatre at Portchester Castle with this pack, featuring historical information and suggested activities to support learning before, during and after your visit.
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Portchester Castle OCR Spec B: HIstory Around Us (GCSE)
We’ve created a site proposal form to help with your planning in conjunction with OCR.
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Local Learning: Portchester Castle
Discover the unique historic environment around Portchester Castle with our suggested reading, activities and video resources.
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Teaching Medieval History
Use historical information, learning activities and tips from our historians, curators and educational experts to support your teaching of medieval history.
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A Mini Guide to Castles
Discover how castles developed over time with this short introduction.
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Black Lives in Britain
Find out more about the experiences of Caribbean prisoners of war at Portchester Castle during the Napoleonic Wars in our Black Lives in Britain resource.
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Portchester Castle: Recreating the Prisoners' Theatre
Discover the story of the French Prisoners at Portchester Castle in the early 19th century with this introductory film.
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Enquire now
0370 333 0606
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Visit our bookings page to start your enquiry. All bookings must be made at least 14 days in advance. Please make sure you check our terms and conditions ahead of your visit.
If you’d like more information about a site or one of our workshops, get in touch using the online form on our bookings page to speak to your local Education Visits Officer. We look forward to seeing you soon.