1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield

School Visits

What better way to learn about 1066 and the Battle of Hastings than by walking in the footsteps of William the Conqueror and King Harold at Battle Abbey? Standing where history was made, your students will better understand the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and beyond.

"A fantastic educational experience for the whole class; the Battle of Hastings was brought to life with battle cries, sword swinging and fantastic scenery that inspired all the pupils."

Hannah Vaughan

KS2 teacher

 

Curriculum Links

Support your teaching in the classroom by stepping out of it. A visit to Battle of Hastings Abbey and Battlefield will help you bring learning to life, covering multiple topics across the curriculum and key stages.

  • KS1 History: Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally. Significant historical events, people and places in the locality
  • KS2 History: A local history study. Edward the Confessor and his death in 1066. A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
  • KS2 Geography: Human geography: types of settlement and land use, why did the battle take place here?
  • KS2 Drama: Become Saxon and Norman soldiers, charging up the hill
  • KS2 Religious Studies: Religion in daily life, why was an abbey built on the site and who lived there?
  • KS3 History: A local history study. The Norman Conquest. Development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509 
  • KS3 Geography: Human geography: understand how human and physical processes interact to influence and change landscapes, why did the battle take place here?
  • KS4 History: OCR History A: Study of the historic environment; OCR History B: History around us, British depth study, The Norman Conquest 1060 - 1087; AQA Section B: British depth study including the historic environment, Norman England; Edexcel Paper2B1: Anglo Saxon and Norman England 1060 - 1088
  • KS5 History: OCR Unit Y102/Y132: Anglo Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035 - 1107; AQA Unit HIS2A: Conqueror and Conquest c 1060 - 1087; Edexcel Paper 2, Option 2A.1: Anglo Saxon England and the Anglo-Norman Kingdom c1053 - 1106

Self-Led Visits

Enjoy a self-led visit to Battle Abbey and design your day to suit your curriculum needs. The activities in our Teachers' Kit will help your students imagine what it was like to be a Norman charging across the battlefield, how it felt to be part of the Anglo-Saxon shield wall, or how the Norman cavalry helped them to victory. Find out more about the daily life of the Benedictine Monks who lived at the Abbey with our free bookable Discovery Chest. Inside are activity bags containing challenges and replica objects representing different monastic buildings, such as the abbey church, which pupils can then explore. 

UK schools and eligible learning groups can visit for free to support your teaching. Find out more about our offer for international education groups.

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Expert-led Discovery Visits

Our immersive, expert-led sessions at Battle Abbey are a great way to bring the Battle of Hastings to life. Pupils re-enact the battle on the battlefield, view replica weapons and delver deeper into this important subject and date in history.

Just £100 per session (for approximately 30 pupils).

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New for Autumn 2026!

As part of the Norman’s fever sweeping the nation with the Bayeux Tapestry’s visit to London, we have been commemorating 1066 here at Battle Abbey with loads of new resources for you to explore.

Our onsite exhibition has been transformed with playful illustrations and a new film on the battle itself. There are interactive displays, armour and weapons for you to discover too.

We also have a brand-new Teachers’ Kit: a comprehensive learning tool, packed with historical information, site plans, timelines and activities.

Download our Teachers' Kit

Beyond the Battle

Get involved celebrating the Bayeux Tapestry’s return to England with your class and take part in Beyond the Battle. Delivered by Art Explora UK in partnership with English Heritage, Beyond the Battle is a creative competition challenging schools to finish the tapestry.

 The Bayeux Tapestry as it survives today ends suddenly, as its closing section has been missing for centuries. We are asking students to design the missing panel, but theirs will imagine a world beyond conflict and respond to the question, “What kind of future would you like to help create?”. Working as a class, they will design and make an original textile work that pictures a better tomorrow, and celebrates the actions, people and values that could make that vision a reality.

All participating schools will receive a learning resource created by embroidery artist and educator Jessica Grady and an opportunity to join English Heritage’s Head Curator of Properties Jeremy Ashbee for an online CPD event. The winners will receive a fully funded overnight trip to London to see the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum and the opportunity to visit 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield, or another Norman site managed by English Heritage.

Beyond the Battle is open for Key Stage 2 students in UK state-funded Primary schools.

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Itinerary

Use our downloadable itinerary to combine a visit to 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield and Pevensey Castle and take the stress out of planning your day.

Full of activity ideas and timings, it's a useful tool to make sure you get the most from your visit.

Download our Itinerary

Learning Resources