SCHOOLS & YOUTH GROUPS
Home > SCHOOLS & YOUTH GROUPS
Dereham Heritage Trust is proud to offer a wide and varied educational programme to support local schools and community youth groups.
Dereham Heritage Trust Schools Programme
Our Schools & Youth Groups programme is designed to help children and young people explore the history of Dereham in exciting and practical ways. Through hands-on activities, storytelling and museum visits, pupils learn how people lived in the past and how Dereham has changed over time.
Sessions are linked to what children study in school and are adapted for different ages, from Nursery through to Sixth Form. We use real objects, photographs and local stories to make history feel meaningful and memorable. Visits can be tailored to complement classroom topics and learning outcomes, and can include opportunities for object handling, creative activities and local case studies.
Our programme is designed to develop curiosity, critical thinking and confidence in working with historical evidence. Children are encouraged to ask questions, investigate sources and form their own interpretations of the past.
Early Years
Exploring everyday objects, stories and photographs to begin understanding the past.
Key Stage One
Discovering how Dereham has changed, and learning about the lives of earlier residents.
Key Stage Two
Investigating different historical periods through local evidence, buildings and collections.
Key Stage Three
Examining how national developments shaped Dereham, from Roman times to industrial growth.
Key Stage Four
Using artefacts, archaeology and artworks to explore change over time in health, landscape and society.
Key Stage Five
Gaining insight into heritage careers and how museums research, care for and interpret collections.
View our Cultural Curriculum
Schools
Bring local history to life at Bishop Bonner’s Cottage Museum.
At Dereham Heritage Trust, we offer a wide and varied Cultural Curriculum developed in line with best practice in UK museum and heritage education and aligned with the National Curriculum for History. Exploring national narratives through a local lens, we deliver enquiry-based learning to support the development of disciplinary knowledge from Early Years through to Key Stage 5. Our Cultural Curriculum can be viewed HERE.
School visits can be booked Monday-Thursday, from May to October. The museum will be closed to the public during these visits, ensuring pupils can explore the cottages in a safe and secure environment.
Schools groups are welcome to go on self-guided tours of the Museum, or our Museum and Learning team can deliver bespoke tours and hands-on activities based on the group’s requirements.
Due to the small size of the cottages, we recommend groups of up to 15 students explore the cottages at a time, offering larger classes the chance to divide into groups and visit the nearby St Nicholas’ Church.
We are unable to accept walk-up school groups so visits must be booked in advance. If you are interested in arranging a visit, please contact museum@derehamheritagetrust.org.uk and a member of our Museum Learning team will be happy to assist.
From £20.00
Youth Groups
Interested in arranging a Museum visit for a community youth group?
We are pleased to welcome youth groups for special visits to Bishop Bonner’s Cottage Museum between May-September, outside of our public opening times.
Groups are welcome to go on self-guided visits and explore the Museum and its displays at their own pace, or our Museum Learning team can assist with guided tours and relevant hands-on activities.
Due to the small size of the cottages, we recommend groups of up to 15 explore the cottages at a time, offering larger groups the chance to divide upon arrival and visit the nearby St Nicholas’ Church.
We are unable to accept walk-up groups so visits must be booked in advance. If you are interested in arranging a visit, please contact museum@derehamheritagetrust.org.uk and a member of our Museum Learning team will be happy to assist.