Education resources in the world heritage site

Schools and other education organisations can be supported in their learning through the resources and activities offered by five partner organisations – English Heritage, National Trust, Salisbury Museum, Wessex Archaeology, and Wiltshire Museum.
Each organisation provides a unique approach to Stonehenge learning:

• English Heritage provides a specific focus on the stones and Neolithic living
• National Trust highlights the contextual landscape
• Wessex Archaeology explores the archaeology
• Wiltshire Museum uses objects to tell the story of Bronze Age people and religion
• Salisbury Museum interprets people and objects

Discover a World Heritage Site on your doorstep

English Heritage, National Trust, Salisbury Museum and Wiltshire Museum have teamed up to provide free CPD sessions to show you how Stonehenge, the landscape and its museums can support learning in your school.

Our CPD sessions are interactive and provide practical advice on how and where the Stonehenge World Heritage Site fits into the new curriculum. The session is based around the late Neolithic and Bronze Age periods covering the following areas;

• Explorer backpacks that can be used on site at Stonehenge
• Learning about the Stone Age through objects
• Explore and experiment with possible ways in which Stonehenge could have been constructed
• The myths and legends behind Stonehenge

However, you can focus on one of these areas if you prefer. They can be delivered in school or on site, Monday to Friday, as part of an INSET day or as twilight sessions. For more information about this please contact the English Heritage Education Visits Officer at bookeducation@english-heritage.org.uk

To organise your visit and find out more about the extensive learning resources on offer from one or more of the above organisations, please see below for links to the individual learning pages.

English Heritage Education

English Heritage Education offer free self-led visits for schools and other learning groups visiting Stonehenge. We offer a range of free site-based and online resources including backpacks to explore the landscape and an online teacher's kit with images and activities. We also offer expert-led Discovery Visits at Stonehenge from KS1 to KS5. At just £100 per session these visits provide hands-on experiences from discovering why Stonehenge was built to investigating how Neolithic people lived.

For more information email us, book online, visit our Stonehenge education page or call us on 0370 333 0606.

National Trust

The Stonehenge landscape is free to visit. The countryside surrounding the stones is packed with archaeology and wildlife, much of which is openly accessible for you to explore:

• National Trust focuses on the archaeology and wildlife in the wider landscape
• Download a walk from our website and discover ancient burial mounds, awe inspiring monuments and stunning chalk down-land
• Explore archaeology, history and wildlife with a guide
• Get hands-on with a 'Stones and Bones - Stonehenge in its Landscape' Discovery Visit session in partnership with English Heritage

For more information call the National Trust Stonehenge on 01980 664780, email stonehenge@nationaltrust.org.uk or Visit National Trust Stonehenge Landscape Website

Wessex Archaeology

Wessex Archaeology has a dedicated Community & Education Team, who are working to enable everyone to explore and understand our past. Visit our website to find out about our interactive school workshops and access our wide range of online learning resources.

For more information call Wessex Archaeology on 01722 326867, email at education@wessexarch.co.uk or Visit Wessex Archaeology Website

Wiltshire Museum

The Wiltshire Museum in Devizes is home to the best Bronze Age archaeology collections in Britain. We offer interactive learning, with workshops and themed days available both in the Museum and out in schools. Students can handle and investigate authentic artefacts, take part in role play and learn new skills through fun hands-on activities.

Workshops include:

• A Journey through Prehistory: Stone Age to Iron Age
• Stone Age Life
• Neolithic to Bronze Age: Religion and Ritual

For more information call the Wiltshire Museum on 01380 727369, email: education@wiltshiremuseum.org.uk or visit Wiltshire Museum Education website

Salisbury Museum

Salisbury Museum offers both museum visits and outreach sessions. The acclaimed ‘Wessex Gallery’, opened in 2014 is a spectacular timeline of archaeology from 1220AD reaching back to early humans. It holds nationally designated collections including that of Stonehenge.

Available school visits relating to Stonehenge are:

• ‘The Amesbury Archer’: an exploration of how this key figure from prehistory was found, and how science has been used to tell us so much about him
• ‘Surviving the Stone Age’: perfect for KS1 classes and groups who prefer active learning. In this session, explore the Stone Age and create a giant board game
• ‘Pottery – Archaeology and Art’: making full use of the Wessex Gallery’s timeline of archaeology, in this session, learn about the development of vessels through form, function and design, and experiment with clay to produce replicas

All school visits include visiting the Wessex Gallery with the Learning team and exploring collections relevant to your led session. Self-led visits to the museum are welcome, and must be pre booked as well.

Please visit the website to see all our school offers and news of our other museum exhibitions which often provide a tie in with your classroom topics. For more information, call Salisbury Museum on 01722 332151, email: education@salisburymuseum.org.uk or Visit Salisbury Museum Learning Website