My Primary School is at the Museum

My Primary School is at the Museum is a pilot project led by King’s College London to explore the potential benefits of children receiving full-time lessons in a cultural setting. The three pilots in Liverpool, South Tyneside and Swansea took primary school children and relocated their classrooms into museums.

In Wales a reception year of two forms (children aged 4 – 5 years old) from St Thomas Community Primary School was based at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea for two five-week residencies.

Teachers, parents and staff all remarked on the difference it made, with many children growing in confidence as they learned about the objects and were able to re-visit favourite items.

The museum’s link with the sea was a popular theme and a team of marine biologists from Swansea University brought fish, snails and crabs from their trawl and encouraged the children to handle and talk about them.

The evaluation of the three pilots showed a range of outcomes for children in terms of increased confidence and improved social skills. The museums gained a deeper understanding of younger audiences that enabled the development of more relevant programmes; and teachers discovered more creative ways to deliver the curriculum in non-traditional spaces.