A review: heritage science and the national curriculum in England

Heritage Science Resources for the National Curriculum in England

In 2016, Historic England published the results of work it commissioned to review science programmes in the National Curriculum in England at key stages 3, 4 and 5, to identify areas where elements of Heritage Science could be embedded. The review set out to identify where learning resources which support the core curriculum are few or lacking so that new resources may be developed by Historic England and others to address these gaps in the future.

The project report identifies resources currently available for the learning and teaching of heritage science and outlines how they could support specific areas of the National Curriculum science programmes (p.20-24). The report also addresses a series of recommendations to key partners and potential collaborators for the development of new resources, areas for further research and engagement opportunities. It highlights that there are considerable opportunities for developing heritage science resources to tie in with the secondary school curriculum. It also proposes that encouraging ‘discovery’ through heritage science will be a particularly effective means of interesting and exciting learners and concludes that heritage scientists and teachers collaborating to shape future learning would be the best way forward. However, the report also states that there is a need for further research to identify specific topics in schools that heritage science can play a greater role in supporting. 

Read about the project on the Historic England website

Image © Historic England