1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield

Schools

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

Information about your visit

A visit to one of our sites will inspire your students and bring your teaching to life. We'd like to reassure you that we're following Government guidance to make your trip as safe and enjoyable as possible. 

Important information to consider before you book:

  • To keep everyone safe we’ve introduced limits on visitor numbers and school groups, so please bear this in mind when booking your trip.
  • Find out more about what to expect on your school visit, which also includes our Covid 19 Risk Assessment.
  • To make the planning process as easy as possible, make sure you check our Plan Your School Trip section at the bottom of this page, for updated information on the facilities at the site as well as our free resources.
  • As usual, you’ll need to book your visit at least 14 days in advance. Please check our Terms and Conditions for full details.
  • English Heritage are legally required to request and record the contact details of customers and visitors aged 16 years and over. The information that you provide will only be shared with NHS Test and Trace, if requested. For more information and for details of our safety measures, please see our what to expect page.

We’re continually updating our education offer in line with government guidance.  At some sites you might not be able to use our handling collections or costumes as part of a free self-led visit, but where we can provide hands-on items in a safe way we will. We’ve adapted our Discovery Visit workshops to follow government guidelines, but for certain sessions this hasn’t been possible – please check our schools webpages for further information.

There may be areas of our sites which are closed, so please check what’s available for your school group on our property webpages and with our booking team.  They can put you in touch with our Education Visits Officers who can offer help and guidance, so you can make the most of your school trip.

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

Free Self-Led Visits

Enjoy a free self-led visit to Battle Abbey and design your day to suit your curriculum needs. The activities in our new 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. 

Enquire now

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 will re-enact the battle on the battlefield, view replica weapons and delver deeper into this important subject and date in history.

Our Discovery Visits have been adapted to follow health and safety guidelines and will still offer your students a quality and fun learning experience.

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

FIND OUT MORE

Plan Your Trip

We have a wide range of materials to support your visit and make school trip planning easy. Download our free resources to help you make the most out of your visit and create unique learning experiences before, during and after your trip.

We also offer free planning visits for group leaders once you have made a booking. Our Education Booking Team is on hand to advise and help you create the best possible school trip to suit your needs and area of study.

  • Facilities
    • BATTLEFIELD, ABBEY GROUNDS AND ABBEY RUINS: The Abbey grounds, Abbey ruins, battlefield and battlefield trail are all open for you to enjoy.
    • EXHIBITION AND GATEHOUSE: The visitor centre exhibition will remain closed. The Gatehouse and rooftop viewing platform will be open.
    • PARKING: There is a large car park near the entrance for cars and minibuses; there is a daily parking charge. Town centre coach park in Market Road, a 10 minute walk.
    • TOILETS: Limited unisex toilets (including accessible toilets). Additional hand sanitising stations will be available across the site.
    • EDUCATION ROOM: Available for use as a bag drop and lunch area. This must be reserved at the time of your booking.
    • SHOP: Our shop is open with a one-way system in place. There may be a reduced capacity in the shop at any one time, so you might need to split your class into smaller groups.
    • LUNCH: You can use the education room as a lunch space, although this must be reserved at the time of booking. You are also welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the grounds. There is a picnic area with tables and benches for packed lunches. The cafe will be open for takeaway service and with a new one way system in place.
    • ACTIVITIES: We aren't able to offer the free Discovery Chest handling collection at the moment.
    • ACCESSIBILITY: There are steps to some areas and a gravel pathway to help you avoid some of these. There are steep slopes. A suggested route for visitors with limited mobility is available upon request.
    • FACE COVERINGS: Face coverings must be worn in all indoor public spaces, including in our exhibitions, shops, cafés and tea rooms. We won’t be able to give you a face covering, so please come prepared so you don’t miss out.

  • Enquire now

  • School visits academic year 2020-21

    In line with government guidance, over 60 of our English Heritage sites are open for education visits, and we’re taking bookings online up to 30 June.

    Our COVID-secure measures will remain in place until all restrictions are lifted.  Visitor numbers are limited, and all bookings must be made at least 14 days in advance.

    English Heritage are legally required to request and record the contact details of customers and visitors aged 16 years and over.  The information that you provide will only be shared with NHS Test and Trace, if requested.  For more information and for details of our safety measures, please see our what to expect page.

    Due to the current situation we can’t answer calls as quickly as we’d like to. If you’d like more information about a site, email us and we’ll put you in touch with an Education Visits Officer.

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