Schools
Whether hands-on workshops that bring history, art, nature, and storytelling to life right here at the museum, or digital resources or loans boxes where the stories of the museum can be brought to you!
For all enquiries, please contact our Education and Learning Coordinator, Ella, at ella@thewhitaker.org
We offer opportunities for both KS2, KS3, KS4 and KS5 – find the right opportunity for you
Museum Employability Sessions
Have you ever been curious about what it’s like to work in a museum? Now’s your chance to find out!
Join us for an exciting behind-the-scenes tour where you’ll dive into the fascinating worlds of conservation, curation, engagement, marketing, and so much more. If your students have a passion for art and history, our museum is the perfect place to ignite their curiosity!
We offer engaging tours, interactive presentations from our staff, and a hands-on workshop where they’ll get to handle objects and create their own exhibition plan using select items from our collection. They’ll explore the magic of conservation, the art of display, and how to connect with our community through these treasures.
Throughout the sessions, students will discover why careful object handling is vital in museums, the challenges involved in displaying delicate historical items, and the essential skills that museum professionals need. Get ready to embark on an adventurous learning journey and unlock the secrets of the museum world!
You will work with a knowledgeable local tour guide and museum staff to explore the Whitaker. From conservation and research to storytelling, there’s a lot that goes into making the past come alive! If you have any questions or want to learn more about the tour, don’t hesitate to reach out. We can customise the experience to better meet your students’ needs!
This workshop can be booked for a full day (10am – 3pm) or half day session (10am – 12.30pm).
KS4 / KS5
This is a permanent workshop.
Pricing Information
Full Day Experience
Immerse yourself in a full-day package with us, which includes a captivating museum tour, engaging presentations by our knowledgeable staff, and an interactive object-handling and curation workshop. All of this for just £6 per student.
Half-Day Experience
Join us for a delightful half-day experience featuring a guided museum tour and insightful staff presentations. This opportunity is available for £4.50 per student for a half-day session.
Accompanying adults are free.
Maximum group size is one class plus staff.
Minimum group size is 25 students.
A Houseful of Stories
Local history, significant people, and curious objects come to life in this exciting, hands-on museum workshop for primary schools. Children become history detectives as they explore historic and modern maps, uncover fascinating facts about their local area, and modern maps, uncover fascinating facts about their local area, and handle real objects from the past – from noisy clogs and fluffy wool to intriguing tools and photographs.
The sessions include a guided tour of our Cabinet of Curiosities, bringing stories of the past vividly to life.
2 Hour Workshop
KS1 / KS2
Cost: £4.50 per student
Accompanying adult are free
Maximum group size is one class plus staff
Minimum group size is 20 students
Museum Discovery Workshop
Join us on tour the museum.
This 2-hour workshop consists of a tour of our cabinet of our cabinet of curiosities and local history, objects handling, activity – this could be looking at artifacts from local history, artifacts to do with the Victorians such as Victorian mourning, WW2 or objects relating to art studies such as life drawing from insects and bugs from our collection up close and ceramic works. Get yourself to The Whitaker! This workshop can be booked for a morning or afternoon session. Museum discovery session is adaptable to curriculum needs. KS1 /KS2 / KS3/ KS4
Cost: £4.50 per student
Accompanying adults are free.
Maximum group size is one class plus staff
Minimum group size is 25 students
Case Loan Boxes
We offer loan boxes to help you explore objects from our collections, maps, and local legends’ lives.
They cover 1830s – 2000s with a focus on local history and the Industrial Revolution. Aimed at KS2, you can either pick and choose activities within or you can follow the entire learning programme.
The boxes link to curriculum topics within history, geography, science, English and art – with additional links to PHSE.
Cost: £25 for 2 weeks
Digital and Online Learning Resources
Find free activities for your classroom.
Creative videos, PDF resources and more.
Learn how to knit, print, write for wellness and make an elephant!
Museum on the Move
This education pack has been developed as part of our Museum on the Move project, with a particular focus on the sketching tours delivered in partnership with local primary and secondary schools.
Within this booklet, you will find historical and architectural information about the buildings and shops along Haslingden High Street. Many of the shop histories featured date back to the early 1900s, offering valuable insight into the area’s heritage.
The booklet also includes a range of activities and workshop ideas at the back, designed for different key stages and linking to both history and art.
This project was supported by the Haslingden Big Lamp Project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Rossendale Borough Council.
