Education
What we offer
The National Railway Museum Education team provides unrivalled educational opportunities for visiting groups from pre-school, through schools, colleges, Scouts and play schemes to higher education and universities. In particular the National Railway Museum is well equipped to support the programmes of study and attainment targets as laid down by the National Curriculum.
In this section we briefly outline our current programme of activities for Key Stage 1 & 2, Secondary Schools and Colleges. If you want further information on our activities the Education team are always pleased to discuss potential visits with teachers and group leaders. For more information please contact the Education and Learning Administrator on 01904 686230 or email school.bookings@nrm.org.uk
We also have a pre-bookable Study coach and Education ‘Lunch’ Coach. You can also take advantage of our outdoor play and picnic areas, miniature railway and Free coach parking (pre-booking required).
Early Years
Key Stage 1
Our Key Stage 1 Early Years visitors can enjoy pre-booked story sack sessions or dress up as Victorian children in our ‘Off to the Seaside’ activity. They can also explore the fascinating collection with our ‘I Spy with my little eye’ activity sheets or practice their maths with our giant ‘Trains and Tracks’ floor game. The Early Years programme is linked to the Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals and the KS1 curriculum. All these activities are free.
| Activity | Detail | Subject | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off to the Seaside | Made up of three parts; a short introduction to the Victorian seaside holiday with the chance to sit in an old carriage; dressing up in Victorian costume (bring a camera to record this); sorting Victorian luggage from modern luggage. Maximum 30 children. | History | 50 minutes |
| Track Wise | An interactive workshop that highlights the importance of railway safety. Workshop includes a short safety cartoon, class discussion and team activities. | Citizenship | 45 minutes |
| Trains and Tracks | A giant snakes and ladders style floor game, which can be booked as a teacher-led activity. Maximum 30 children. | Citizenship | 30 minutes |
| Activity | Detail | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Oi! Get off our Train - John Burningham | A little boy sets off on a round-the-world night train to Dreamland with his toy dog for company. All sorts of endangered animals join them on their journey. | 3-6 years |
| Woolly stops the Train - Heather Amery & Stephen Cartwright | The sheep have escaped and are on the railway track! The farmer and his family must get them home safely with some help from the old steam train. | 3-6 years |
| The Runaway Train - Benedict Blathwayt | Duffy Driver forgot to put the brake on and the little red train set off down the track … Chuff-Chuff-whoo..oooo! Duffy has to use different forms of transport to catch the train. | 4-6 years |
| The Yellow Train - Kay Barnes | Follow the adventures of the bright yellow train that runs between the big city and the little seaside town. Will everyone get to the right place on time? | 3-5 years |
| The Chips Express - Christopher Awdry | Join engine Lucy on her adventure through the snow with a fish and chip supper and meet engine Jack as he helps the driver of an overturned lorry. | 6-7 years |
Primary
Key Stage 2
We have a range of subject-specific and cross-curricular programmes for Key Stage 2. Why not book our specially tailored NRM Learning Facilitator presentations or tours, which bring your studies to life through stories about the railways. Don’t forget the Interactive Learning Centre (ILC)… Build an arched bridge and discover what keeps a train on the tracks, a wealth of knowledge and enjoyment can be gained from time spent in the ILC. Information sheets (sent before your visit) explain the science and design-technology demonstrated by each activity. Find out more in the ILC link at the top of this page.
| Activity | Details | Subject | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephenson’s Rocket | Find out how George Stephenson and his locomotive Rocket changed history! An extended version covers the subject in more detail. | History | 20 minutes |
| 40 minutes | |||
| Mallard | Hear the story of the world’s fastest steam locomotive. Secret trials and strange smells! | History | 20 minutes |
| Track Wise | An interactive workshop that highlights the importance of railway safety. Workshop includes a short safety film, class discussion and team activities. | Citizenship | 45 minutes |
| Victorian Railways | Learn about life for Victorian railwaymen and travellers of all classes on the Midland Railway in 1885. | History | 50 minutes |
| Holiday Train | Discover what a Victorian holiday was like and sit in a carriage from days gone by. | History | 30 minutes |
| Building Bridges | Children will play the part of bridge supports and experience first-hand the impact of forces as they build a range of bridge structures. | Science | 50 minutes |
| Earl Paintings | Become a time detective and use the Earl paintings to discover what life was like for the different classes of Victorians. Extend the session with the option of role-play using costume and drama. | History | 20 minutes |
| 1 hour and 30 minutes | |||
| Forces and Friction | Discover how important forces are in the railways. Carry out experiments to learn more about friction and forces. | Science | 1 hour |
| Object Handling | Get your hands on history! Learn about the past by working with real artefacts from the museum collection. | History | 50 minutes |
| WWII - Evacuation | Find out the important role that railways played during the wartime evacuation of children. | History | 1 hour |
Secondary Schools and Colleges
We have a fascinating ‘Magnet Mania’ KS3 workshop where students can experiment with floating ring magnets and paper clips to demonstrate attraction and repulsion, make electromagnets and investigate the Maglev train technology. Plus a choice of talks on the customer service and marketing departments at the NRM specifically designed for students of Travel, Tourism, Leisure and Business, we aim to work with teachers to design workshops and tailor sessions to meet the pupils’ needs and link with specific projects.
Key Stage 3
| Activity | Detail | Subject | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building Bridges | Students will play the part of bridge supports and experience first-hand the impact of forces as they build a range of bridge structures. | Science | 55 minutes |
| Magnet Mania | Cogitate to levitate with Flying Trains and Floating Paper Clips. A series of hands-on fun experiments with magnets and electromagnets inspired by ‘Maglev’ technology. | Science | 60 minutes |
| Track Wise | A workshop that highlights the importance of railway safety. Workshop includes a DVD of a short film and eyewitness account, class discussion and team activities. | Citizenship | 45 minutes |
Magnet Mania
Downloadable Document Magnet Mania (PDF 2.7MB)
Students will:
- Experiment with floating ring magnets and paper clips to demonstrate attraction and repulsion
- Make an electromagnet
- Investigate the Maglev train technology
Curriculum links: This workshop is directly linked to the Key Stage 3 Science unit on Magnets and Electromagnets. It builds on the work done on ‘Electrical Circuits’ and lays the foundation for the unit on ‘Energy and Electricity’. Teachers will receive a pack of resource material with suggested follow-up activities.
Bookings: Contact our School Booking Office for more information about ‘Magnet Mania’ and our other exciting secondary workshops by email: school.bookings@nrm.org.uk or Telephone: 01904 686230
Teachers: We are happy to work with you to design workshops and tailor sessions to meet pupils’ needs and link with specific projects. To discuss your ideas contact our Education Officer on 01904 685712
Key Stage 4 & 5
Leisure and Tourism at the NRM
Check out our NEW Leisure and Tourism Web Resource to support the teaching of leisure, tourism, travel and business courses.
Highlights include:
Downloadable documents, student tasks and worksheets for teachers to incorporate into their lesson planning
A film of our TV ad
A recording of our radio ad
Case studies of recent NRM marketing campaigns
Results of our recent Visitor Survey
Visit out Leisure and Tourism Web Resource
Get the most out of the resource by visiting the Museum and booking a leisure and tourism presentation with our Education Officer. You can also book a workshop on Marketing and Customer Service at the NRM? To discuss your requirements contact our Education Officer on 01904 685712
| Activity | Detail | Subject | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leisure and Tourism Customer Service | An introduction to the functioning of a National Museum with an emphasis upon the importance of Customer Service. | Leisure and Tourism | 60 minutes |
| Leisure and Tourism Marketing | An introduction to the functioning of a National Museum with an emphasis upon the importance of Marketing. | Leisure and Tourism | 60 minutes |
Other useful links
Springboard UK
Learning and Skills Development Agency
Special Educational Needs
The NRM Education team welcome all groups and visitors; we are always pleased to discuss SEN requirements prior to visits. We are happy to adapt and develop new activities to meet the needs of our visitors. Please feel free to contact Helen Taylor the NRM Education team SEN representative on 01904 685743