What to expect from an education visit to The National Archives

We believe that students of all ages should be able to explore the past and turn the pages of history themselves! Our in-person workshops and events offer a unique learning experience, giving children the chance to investigate and handle original documents from across time.

About this image

The Clore Learning Centre at The National Archives.

Our in-person education sessions

Our taught sessions are designed by qualified teachers to complement the National Curriculum for History or relevant exam specifications' syllabi. They are delivered by teachers or, in some cases, by costumed interpreters.

The sessions are completely free and you can expect a highly interactive session led by a specialist educator.

You will have a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with our original documents. Students will be able to view or handle at least one original document and get hands on with the past!

We also provide a range of fun and creative activities such as palaeography challenges, storytelling, and code-deciphering.

This is a chance for your students to develop their evidential understanding and ability to formulate historical interpretations in a unique learning environment

Example itinerary

We offer four start times for sessions, subject to availability. 10:00 or 10:30 for morning workshops and 13:00 or 13:30 for afternoon workshops

Below is an example itinerary for a group of 30 secondary students visiting our site at Kew for a morning visit.

9:45: Arrival and welcome from a member of our Visitor Experience Team.
9:55: Greeting from an Education Officer and briefing.
10:00: Workshop begins in one of our dedicated learning spaces. Students engage in an exciting, interactive workshop and always work with original documents.
12:00: Workshop ends, belongings collected, opportunity to use our lunch space and then depart.

How to book

Browse our workshops to find the perfect session for your students. Some sessions take place on specific dates, but the majority can be booked for any time in the school year.

Once you’ve chosen your workshop click ‘book now’ to find all of our available workshop timeslots on our Eventbrite page.

You will be asked to fill out a brief form about your booking, after which we will get in touch to provide any additional resources you may need for your session.

Education

Education sessions

A row of five tables surrounded by matching red chairs run alongside a large line of windows with trees visible outside.

Find and book an in-person education session for your students.

Getting to The National Archives

Getting here

A covered bike shelter sits between The National Archives Building and a grassy bank.

The National Archives is located in Kew, southwest London. Find out how to reach us by car, bike, coach and public transport, including accessible routes.

Bursaries

If you need financial support to get to The National Archives, we have a bursary scheme.

The National Archives education bursary schemes

The path to The National Archives' building, with a brutalist structure on the left, a glass section in the middle, and angled roofs on the right, above a lake and some plants.

Bursaries are available to support visits to our headquarters in Kew and for visits to our North East partners at the Discovery Museum, Newcastle.

Facilities

Nestled in leafy Kew lies our striking brutalist building, designed to keep our remarkable documents safe. Here, you can find:

Student-friendly, purpose-built, and fully accessible learning spaces
Classrooms equipped with a SMARTboard, iPads, audio-visual equipment, an induction loop and a document visualiser.
A student lunch area, for use either before or after your onsite workshop
A dedicated bag and lunch storage space
Accessible toilet facilities and handwashing station
Free parking for coaches and minibuses
Outdoor picnic benches overlooking a pond, home to our resident ducks and swans
An exciting exhibition space and as well as installations throughout the building.

We accommodate group sizes of between 8-35 students. All groups must be accompanied by at least 2 adults.

Booking is required for our lunch space and coach parking.

Accessibility

Our site, including Learning Spaces is wheelchair accessible. We also support Hearing Loops.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

A child's hands touch a tactile version of a document.

We offer a dedicated learning programme for students with special educational needs and disabilities.

Accessibility

Sign showing icons of people, including a person in a wheelchair and a baby, above the text 'This toilet is for everyone'.

Find out more about accessibility across our building.

Testimonials

Students loved being given the freedom to choose, handle and gather information from the documents. Students asked if next time the session could be longer!

Secondary school teacher

I thought the whole session was very engaging. The resources were interesting and easily accessible. The children were very engaged; all of them were desperate to answer questions.

Primary school teacher