Pennine Lancashire Museums and Schools Programme

Dec 2013

Welcome to the fi rst newsletter from the Pennine Lancashire Museums and Schools Programme. This programme aims to strengthen links between schools and their local museums and is funded by Arts Council England and the Department of Education.

Here you will fi nd case studies, updates and new learning sessions available. We hope it will be a valuable source of information for any teaching professional in Pennine Lancashire.

    

Teachers’ Case Studies - how they have developed new learning sessions with Pennine Lancashire Museums.

The New Curriculum – what impact will this have on learning with museums?

New learning sessions now available – new sessions developed by local teachers that your school can book now.

Special Events Weeks – a look ahead at what is being planned across Pennine Lancashire Museums.

Arts Award Offer – Free Arts Award Discover for Pennine Lancashire schools. Pennine Lancashire Museums and Schools Programme Teachers’ Case Studies A key part of the Pennine Lancashire Museums and Schools Programme is about developing new learning sessions

C E  UDY 1 with teachers. We have been working with 19 teachers over the past year and below we share two teachers’ thoughts, experiences and the learning sessions that have resulted.

Sounds of the Mill with Queen Street Tracy Ensby, Barrowford Mill Textile Museum School

A visit to Queen Street Mill as part of salt dough shuttles, a huge whole class the teachers’ museum tour days at shuttle composed of individual images, the project start inspired Tracy Ensby sound poems, and practiced speech to base her learning session around marks using conversations in the mill – rhythm. The textile past also fi tted into “ee it’s hot in here!” Tracy’s local history work at school. Families were invited to a celebration Object handling boxes went out to the event at the school. The classroom was school and local hero James Bullough crowded as the children presented a visited the class to talk about his work PowerPoint of what they had done, read on the Lancashire loom (it was really one poems and recreated the ‘Barrowford of our costumed interpreters!). The class Loom’ one more time. Their work was created the ‘Barrowford Loom’ – each displayed outside the classroom for child taking a part in the moving machine, everyone to admire – and they have all with sounds to match, and were invited to earned Arts Award Discover too! visit Queen Street Mill to see the looms The best bits for Tracy? in action. “Seeing how you can use history in On the day of the mill visit, the children a creative way and how the children clocked in and out of the mill, saw and were so engaged and so proud of the 2 heard all the working machinery and work they had done. Working together created music and poetry. with museum staff, being able to have insight into the museum, using Children create the Back at school, Tracy took the class to expertise and sharing ideas made such ‘Barrowford Loom’ at Queen the Shuttle - a local textile monument, a difference – we learned so much!” Street Mill Textile Museum. and a local working weaver. They created C E  UDY 2 Minibeasts with Blackburn Kirsteen Walmsley, Bolton-by- Museum and Art Gallery Bowland CE Primary School

I have always loved anything historical ‘adapted for’ as a bit of an after- – blame my parents for dragging me thought. Infant children are seldom round castles and cathedrals as a child! given enough credit for what they can Throughout secondary school I took ‘A’ do, or what level of understanding levels in history, classics and archaeology, they can achieve. I hope my so really I had to become a teacher…or interpretation of this project will go work on ‘Time Team’. a little way towards addressing this misconception. I have been teaching since 1995, initially in Blackburn, then in 1997 I ‘escaped to the Currently I am teaching between country’ to teach at Bolton-by-Bowland CE Bolton-by-Bowland and Grindleton Primary. We are a very tiny, rural primary Infant classes (we share the same school – just 2 classes. I have Early Years, headteacher under a collaboration Reception, Y1 and Y2 whilst 2 other that has been in place for the last 5 teachers share the KS2 class. years). We took both Infant classes ’Minibeasts’ trial session at Blackburn to trial this project and they had Museum and Art Gallery. I was drawn to this project, not just for the an amazing time - mainly thanks to chance to visit such fantastic museums Steve’s unending knowledge of beetles in London as the V&A, Sir John Soane’s (or coleoptera as we now know they Kirsteen has developed a ‘Minibeasts’ and the Hunterian, but more as a chance are called). session with Stephen Irwin, Education to really have a voice as an infant teacher. Offi cer for Blackburn with Darwen More often than not, school trips are I hope other schools try the project Borough Council. See ‘New learning focused towards secondary school or and get as much fun and learning out sessions now available’ section opposite KS2 children. KS1 children are too often of it as we did. for more details. Dec 2013 The New Curriculum Making the new curriculum work for Pennine Lancashire Museums and Schools

Our learning sessions have always resources from a different perspective and been based around our buildings and seen wonderful opportunities for cross- collections and very often tailored to the curricular learning. Music and poetry in a history curriculum. With a new history textile mill, investigating local history with curriculum that looks at pre 1066 up to maths, making beetle sculptures inspired Key Stage 2, our fi rst reaction was panic! by our beetle collection and the colours of We have object loans boxes, but the Tiffany glass, and natural history sessions learning sessions at each of our museum exploring the museum grounds are just sites need to respond better to the needs some of the new developments. Add to of the new curriculum. this the opportunity to do Arts Award and we are realising that the new curriculum This is where the amazing teachers that (and of course the Museums and Schools are taking part in the Museums and Programme) gives us the opportunity to Schools Programme come in. They have jointly develop a really strong learning ’Minibeasts’ trial session looked at our museums, collections and offer. at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery.

New learning sessions now available Photo - Nick Harrison

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Sounds of the Mill Storytelling at Minibeasts at The Tudors at at Queen Street Mill Gawthorpe Hall/ Blackburn Museum Towneley

Textile Museum Towneley Hall and and Art Gallery The story of Towneley’s Tudor Sound, poetry, music and Blackburn Museum Beetles are the commonest past is brought to life in this movement transform the story and Art Gallery ‘minibeast’ and the most session of design, drama and of the Lancashire Loom into a diverse group of animals on dancing. Using riddles and stories, this fun, lively and creative learning the planet - why? session for KS1/2 children. session brings the paintings Towneley’s architecture, priest and objects of the museums Children use Blackburn hole, medieval vestments This session starts at school and galleries alive. Museum’s fascinating and chapel are all included in with a visit from James Bullough Victorian beetle collection to this session which uses the Children follow a riddle trail who talks about the Lancashire explore the different reasons religious backdrop to Tudor around the museum and fi nd Loom and the children create a for this question, looking at times as its theme. out facts and stories about ‘living loom’ with each becoming the animal’s different physical the many paintings and The children use a family a part of the loom. The children attributes and working out for objects. They then all come portrait and coat of arms as then visit Queen Street Mill to themselves what the answers together for a storytelling inspiration to design their own see the looms in action and might be. The children create session linked to the riddles coat of arms. Next the children have two sessions of poetry their own minibeast in a craft they have solved. Suitable visit the priest hole and and music to create their own session; using art and design for KS2 children, this session chapel and have an impromptu descriptions of the mills. to develop their ideas and is available at 3 venues - question and answer session reinforce the science they Back at school, they develop Gawthorpe Hall, Towneley Hall with a Catholic priest in hiding. have learnt. This session is their poems and music, which and Blackburn Museum & Art Finally there is a Tudor dancing suitable for both KS1 and KS2 are presented to museum staff Gallery. session and junk modelling of children. and parents at a celebration Tudor musical instruments and Developed with Natalie event. Developed with Kirsteen prizes awarded to the best McNeill, Meadowhead Junior Walmsley, teacher from groups. Developed with Tracy Ensby, School and Taffy Thomas - Bolton-by-Bowland CE teacher at Barrowford School storytelling laureate. Developed with Sarah Purtill, Primary School (see Kirsteen’s (see Tracy’s case study opposite). teacher from Belthorn Primary case study opposite). School. Pennine Lancashire Museums and Schools Programme Special Events Weeks

These special events weeks are very popular as they give pupils and teachers the opportunity to immerse themselves in stimulating, hands–on activities in breath-taking historical settings.

Date Venue and contact Event Key Stage 9-13 Dec Gawthorpe Hall – 01282 771004 Victorian Christmas – Traditional games, pastimes and KS1/Lower Father Christmas. KS2 16-18 Dec Turton Tower – 01204 852203 Victorian Christmas – Traditional games, pastimes and KS1/Lower Father Christmas. KS2 9-13 June Gawthorpe Hall - 01282 771004 English Civil War – Pike and musket drill, code breaking, KS2/KS3 interactive Battle of Preston and overview of the English Civil War. 16-20 June Turton Tower - 01204 852203 Tudor Week – Hands-on workshops around the themes of KS2 Tudor weaponry, buildings and domestic life. 23-27 June Clitheroe Castle Museum – Castle and Castle Life – Medieval and Tudor warfare and KS1/KS2/ 01200 424568 weaponry workshops. Lower KS3 7-11 July Clitheroe Castle Museum - The Dark Ages – Though interactive workshops experience KS1/KS2 01200 424568 life during the Dark Ages.

| All sessions are £4 per pupil.

Arts Award FREE Offer: Work with F D  T M E

your local museum and pilot Arts Want to fi nd out more about participating 4 in the Pennine Lancashire Museums and Award in your classroom Schools Programme? This year we are particularly keen to To encourage schools to explore how PLEASE CONTACT: work with schools who would like to they could work with museums to deliver Gill Brailey, Heritage Learning Manager, introduce Arts Award to their pupils, Arts Award, we are offering all schools Lancashire County Council, 01772 534090 making use of local museums as a participating in the programme free Arts [email protected] stimulus for developing Award adviser training, along Stephen Irwin, Education Offi cer, Blackburn exciting curriculum with follow up support to with Darwen Borough Council 01254 667130 activities and for devel- help schools embed the [email protected] oping children and young Arts Award framework people’s creativity, within their offer. All pupils HOW TO BOOK LEARNING SESSIONS communication and participating in Arts Award Please contact individual venues: leadership skills. Discover will receive a free portfolio to complete and Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery Arts Award is all about there will be no charge to 01254 667130, blackburn.gov.uk encouraging and schools for pupil moderation. Turton Tower inspiring children and 01204 852203, blackburn.gov.uk young people to enjoy Arts Award offers different Haworth Art Gallery creative activities and levels of accreditation designed 01254 233783, hyndburnbc.gov.uk/hag develop skills at the to be open to anyone aged Gawthorpe Textiles at Gawthorpe Hall same time, fi nding out between fi ve and 25. For more 01282 771004, gawthorpetextiles.org.uk about creative people and their work and information please visit Towneley Hall 01282 477130, sharing their experiences with others. www.artsaward.org.uk towneley.org.uk Helmshore Mills Textile Museum 01706 226459, lancashire.gov.uk/museums Queen Street Mill Textile Museum 01282 412555, lancashire.gov.uk/museums Clitheroe Castle Museum 01200 424568, lancashire.gov.uk/museums

Photo courtesy of Curious Minds