Teaching resources

Teaching and Learning Resources

Browse our range of free downloadable teaching resources designed to help you bring history to life at our sites and in your classroom. All our resources have been developed by our team of qualified teachers, educational experts and historians. Whether you're visiting on a free self-led visit, or one of our Discovery Visit workshops, or just looking for more information on a particular topic, our resources below are packed full of site histories, activity ideas, images, sources and much more. They're organised by key stage but have all the information in one handy document so you can find and use whatever is most useful to your teaching and students needs.

When it comes to booking a visit, we'd like to reassure you our staff are still working hard to keep everyone safe and we continue to keep a range of measures in place, such as limited capacity in some indoor spaces, to make sure you and your group have a safe and enjoyable visit. For more information please see our school visits pages.

 

Below we've carefully curated some of our top resources by theme to make it easier for teachers and home learners to access the content you need most. These highlights have been taken from our Teachers' Kits.

Scroll down to see our favourites organised by topic, or for the full list of our resources, discover our resources library.

See All Of Our Learning Resources

Prehistory

Prehistory (before AD 43) is a vast time period and often the first that students will encounter. It's a fascinating period of history, full of important developments in technology and society, but we know that it can be one of the most challenging to teach. 

We've brought together some of our cross-curricular Prehistory resources here to support your teaching and inspire your learners in their prehistory studies. 

Our educational experts and historians have also developed a guide to teaching prehistory that you can find by following the link below. 

Read more about teaching Prehistory

The Romans

Students exploring the exhibits at Lullingstone Roman Villa

Roman Britain lasted for over three and a half centuries, from AD 43 to c.410. The Romans have left their mark on the landscape of Britain in the towns, roads and structures they left behind. 

Use our Roman resources to delve into this period with your learners. Travel along Hadrian's Wall, uncover life in a Roman town and find out more about the Romans themselves. 

Our educational experts and historians have developed a guide to teaching the Romans that you can find by following the link below. 

Read more about teaching the Romans

Anglo-Saxons & Normans

A woman dressed in Saxon costume holds her hands out towards students

The Anglo-Saxon and Norman periods are regarded as a transformative time in English history. William the Conqueror's victory over King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 began the momentous Norman Conquest; a new era where castles became symbols of royal power.

Use our resources to help your learners better understand the Battle of Hastings and its effects, as well as the use of buildings, like castles and abbeys, to reinforce Norman rule. 

Our educational experts and historians have developed a guide to teaching the Anglo-Saxons and Normans that you can find by following the link below. 

 

Read more about teaching Anglo-Saxons and Normans

Medieval

The Middle Ages is long a period, full of change and development. It was a time of internal and foreign war, as well as the creation of many buildings and institutions we recognise today. 

We've brought together a selection of our medieval resources to help you chart the changes in this period with your learners. Find out more about what castle life was like, how kings sought to control rebel barons, and the meanings behind heraldic symbols. 

Our educational experts and historians have developed a guide to teaching medieval history that you can find by following the link below.

Read more about teaching medieval history

Tudors & Stuarts

Life in the Tudor and Stuart periods was full of societal, religious and political upheaval. These periods saw invasion threats, a new Church and civil war, as well as discovery, exploration and scientific endeavours. 

Find ways to bring these periods to life for your learners by using our cross-curricular resources to step into England's past. 

Our educational experts and historians have developed a guide to teaching the Tudors and Stuarts that you can find by following the link below. 

Read more about teaching the Tudors and Stuarts

Victorians

Boys and girls wearing Victorian servant costumes in the Coal Gallery at Audley End

Queen Victoria's reign (1837-1901) gave us many of the technologies we take for granted today and shaped the world we live in. We are surrounded by evidence of the Victorian period including public buildings, railways, farmhouses and field boundaries.  

Use our resources to explore the Victorian period and better understand how Britain's wealth and power grew rapidly during Victoria's 63-year reign.

Our educational experts and historians have developed a guide to teaching the Victorians that you can find by following the link below.

Read more about teaching the Victorians

20th Century

20th-century Britain experienced rapidly developing technologies, many of them spurred on by two World Wars. These acted as important catalysts for great social change. 

Use our resources to support your learners in exploring the 20th century, a period still within living memory. Uncover the roles of brave men and women during the First and Second World Wars and find out more about the technological and design changes that took place. 

Our educational experts and historians have developed a guide to teaching the 20th century that you can find by following the link below. 

Read more about teaching the 20th century

Teachers' Kits

Our Teachers' Kits are comprehensive resources designed by our experts to help you explore our historic places through hands on activities. Featuring historical information, site plans and activities you can try at home, these kits include everything you need to step into England's story.

If you'd like to browse our full range of Teachers' Kits, visit our resources library and browse by region.

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