Two Bath museums – No.1 Royal Crescent and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy – have achieved a prestigious award for their inspiring work with schoolchildren.
The Sandford Award is a respected quality mark for heritage learning, offering validation for heritage organisations that offer a formal learning programme that supports the relevant curriculum.
Recognition is also given to informal learning such as family programmes and self-guided provision.
It is the third Sandford Award for No.1 Royal Crescent and the second for the Herschel Museum of Astronomy – both owned by Bath Preservation Trust.
The award provides a ‘kite mark’ recognised by schools and other education institutions across the UK.
A range of workshops for schools exploring the lives, social attitudes and occupations of Georgian Society are staged by Bath Preservation Trust’s learning and engagement team. Both museums also offer loan boxes and outreach workshops to maximise accessibility.
At the Herschel Museum of Astronomy on New King Street, pictured, the extraordinary discoveries of William and Caroline Herschel are revealed, with a new mobile planetarium also available to provide a fantastic immersive experience for students.
Children’s trails and activities are held throughout the year, with special workshops during school holidays. A new programme of adult learning workshops has also been set up this year.
Bath Preservation Trust learning and engagement Officer Ellie Giles said the organisation aimed to offer an informative, immersive and fun experience for all children, tailoring the content of its workshops to support curriculum objectives and their work in class.
“We know that visits to museums help to embed learning in a way that cannot be achieved in the classroom and so we strive to create a memorable experience for children that will stay with them long after the visit itself,” she said.
Bath Preservation Trust director of museums Patrizia Ribul added: “We are thrilled that our learning programmes have been recognised by such a hallmark of excellence in heritage learning.
“Not only does this achievement demonstrate the quality of our learning programmes, it is also a testament to the consistency and dedication of our learning and engagement team.”
Sandford Award lead assessor Hannah Keddie described the Herschel Museum of Astronomy’s learning programme as providing a space where visitors could explore the significance of William and Caroline Herschel’s scientific discoveries and gain an incredible insight into Georgian Bath.
“The education programme developed by the small-but-dedicated learning team has been shaped by user need and maintains a high quality for both formal and informal learners,” she added.
“By drawing on the unique history of the site from William Herschel’s discovery of Uranus to Caroline Herschel’s status as the first paid female astronomer, they continue to adapt and develop the museum’s very effective offer to support schools in their study of science and local history.”
Fellow lead assessor David Souden said the learning programme at of No.1 Royal Crescent, a restored town-house museum where visitors can explore fashionable life in Bath of the 18th century, pictured above, gave learners and general visitors alike a keen sense of how and why Bath was a premier social destination in the Georgian era.
“The house is beautifully presented, filled with original furnishings and paintings. A house tour is an integral part of a visit for learners, alongside a range of hands-on activities, that all help to immerse the student in the Georgian world,” he added.
“A committed team from the Bath Preservation Trust presents and delivers learning experiences that will live long in the memory and the imagination.”
Bath Preservation Trust also owns Beckford’s Tower and Museum and the Museum of Bath Architecture, which both recently reopened.
It receives no statutory funding and is supported by visitor income, grants, legacies, donations and members who share a passion for the city and its environs.
