Schools

A stunning and inspiring location for a cross-curricular school trip. Make the most of your day at Castle Acre Priory by visiting the on-site exhibition, recreated herb garden, and new stonework display in the Prior's lodgings. Download the free resources for schools below.

Image © Historic England Archive

Curriculum Links

Once the beautiful home of a working community of Cluniac monks with a great love for art and decoration, Castle Acre Priory is a fascinating site to explore for its historical significance and visual decadence.

KS1-3 History: A local history study
KS1 History: Significant historical events, people and places in their own locality
KS2 History: Study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
KS3 History: The development of Church, state and society in Britain 1066-1509 and 1509-1745
KS3 Geography: Local knowledge, geographical skills and fieldwork, human and physical geography
KS3 Art & Design: The history of art, craft, design and architecture
KS4 AQA GCSE History: Exam for 2022, specifically Paper 2: ‘Shaping the Nation’, Section B, Part 4: ‘The historic environment of Norman England’.

Free Self-Led Visits

The Priory has a huge amount to see and explore. From the extremely well preserved west front of the great 12th-century church to the remains of the cloister and monks' living quarters, which includes a two-storey, 24-seater toilet block. See below to download our Learning Resources to support your teaching before, during and after your visit. Use our Tour and Explore teachers' guide and student booklet for students to take part in a self-led tour around Castle Acre Priory. Make a full day of your visit by walking through the village to the nearby Castle and Bailey Gate using our illustrated map.

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Expert-led Discovery Visits

Our new expert-led interactive tour of the priory is aligned to support AQA History GCSE students studying the historic environment of Norman England. At only £80 per group per session, the tour focuses on the location, function and structure of the site in the Norman period, plus the people connected with it.

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

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PLAN YOUR TRIP

We have a wide range of materials to support your visit and make school trip planning easy. You can find all our site-specific information and tools below, and for Covid-19 risk assessments and measures we’ve got in place please visit our what to expect page.

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. Visit our bookings page to start planning your trip!

Facilities
EDUCATION ROOM: If you need this space, please mention when you are making your booking.

PARKING: Space for up to four coaches, please specify when booking.

TOILETS: Male and female toilets available 50 metres from entrance (not accessible for wheelchairs).

SHOP: The shop sells a range of English Heritage gifts and souvenirs.

ACCESS: Parts of the site are limited to those who cannot climb the spiral staircase.

Hazard Information
A useful tool to help with your risk assessments.

Castle Acre Priory Hazard Information.pdf (57.4 KB)

Learning Resources
This self-led resource is designed for KS4 groups studying Castle Acre Priory as part of the AQA GCSE specification for exams in 2022. Complete these activities at the priory and use the revision section to help prepare for the exam.

Castle Acre Priory Self-Led GCSE Resource (KS4).pdf (11 MB)

For KS2 and KS3 groups, the Tour and Explore resource contains a range of activities and interactive challenges for students to complete as they move around Castle Acre Priory. These resources contain everything you need to plan, complete and reflect on the tour.

Castle Acre Priory Tour and Explore Teachers’ Guide (KS2-KS3).pdf (850 KB)

Castle Acre Priory Tour and Explore Student Booklet (KS2-KS3).pdf (5.87 MB)

Castle Acre Priory Tour and Explore Reflection Sheet (KS2-KS3).pdf (440 KB)

Use this illustrated map to go on an interactive walk to Castle Acre Castle.

Castle Acre Village Walk for Schools (KS2-KS3).pdf (6.17 MB)

Education Site Opening Times
We offer free self-led education visits during school term time^*. From November until March we open exclusively for education groups at selected sites when booking an expert-led Discovery Visit. See our education opening times below for individual site information.

^*Free education visits are not offered on UK public holidays or during the operation of additional fee paying public events at English Heritage sites.

April-October: Monday-Sunday 10-5pm. Discovery Visits available Monday, Tuesday and Friday

1 November-19 February: No bookings can be taken at the current time

20 February-31 March: Wednesday-Friday 10-4pm. Discovery Visits available Wednesday-Friday

Enquire now

0370 333 0606

bookeducation@english-heritage.org.uk

Book online
Visit our bookings page to start your enquiry. All bookings must be made at least 14 days in advance. Please make sure you check our terms and conditions ahead of your visit.

If you’d like more information about a site or one of our workshops, get in touch using the online form on our bookings page to speak to your local Education Visits Officer. We look forward to seeing you soon.