HISTORY IN THE MAKING!
Heritage isn’t just about exploring the past – pupils can learn plenty about how history has shaped and affected their own lives, too. John McMahon, Policy Advisor at Heritage Lottery Fund, tells us more. By Natalie Keeler
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tudying history from old, battered textbooks is a thing of the past! Pupils are interacting with heritage in
more exciting ways than ever – from getting up close and personal with ancient artefacts and re-enacting famous historic events in workshops, to exploring remarkable landmarks and crumbling ruins. According to grant-giving body Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), presenting the past in a way that allows young people to compare it to the way they live now, is the key to capturing their interest. ‘Young people often have a limited
understanding of what heritage is, and think “it’s not for me”. In fact, research shows that young people aged 11-25 are least likely to engage with heritage,’ says John McMahon, Policy Advisor for Learning and Volunteering at Heritage Lottery Fund. ‘Helping them understand what it is, in their own terms, is an involved. Our ethos is to inspire children and awaken their curiosity and involvement not just in national heritage, but also their own.’ HLF is funded by the National
Lottery, and has distributed more than £7 billion-worth of grants to over 40,000 projects since its inception in 1994. While it cannot support curricular activities taking place during core school hours, extra-curricular work in schools
30 SPRING 2017 FundEd
is eligible for funding. There are currently 16 grant programmes run by the fund, but those more likely to appeal to schools are Our Heritage, Sharing Heritage, Young Roots, and First World War: Then and Now. These offer grants of between £3,000 and £100,000. ‘Our Young Roots and First World
War: Then and Now programmes have young people as a priority, and we encourage applications that are led by the children. In our experience, if pupils are fully involved in all aspects of the project – from planning what to put in the application, to evaluating how well the project meets its objectives – then they are fully invested in it and want to see it succeed!’
CASE STUDY: WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE
King’s Norton Girls School, Birmingham (901 pupils): A grant of £19,400 from HLF’s Young Roots programme funded the ‘Fight for the Right: the Birmingham Suffragettes’ project, which involved 25 students from King’s Norton Girls School and Waverley School. The project gave pupils the opportunity
to explore activities on each side of the suffrage campaign, both militant and non-militant, in Birmingham in the 20th century. As well as a focus on history, the children also explored women’s rights today and the subjects of voting and politics.
Colyton Grammar School was awarded £3,300 through the Heritage Lottery Fund’s First World War: Then and Now programme
McMahon outlines the importance
of making heritage relevant. ‘A focus on cultural identity or the individuals and events that shaped their communities is often appealing to young people, as they can usually relate to it in some way. For example, comparing the lives of teenagers now to a century ago could lead to discussions about the history of fashion, politics, and the culture of that time. Successful projects can also draw on pupils’ existing interests, like photography, music, sports, or science. Other projects could include exploring or helping to care for an area of woodland, researching traditional dance, recreating historic festivities,
The project ran over 12 months, and
involved local historians, a filmmaker, a drama practitioner, and staff from Birmingham Archives and Heritage. Activities included research, walking tours, archive workshops, a meeting with a local MP, a visit to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and a guided tour of Parliament. This research was then used to create
a documentary film, which the pupils developed and many even starred in. They were also invited to Selly Oak Manor by the Birmingham Civic Society to unveil a blue plaque for Julia Varley, a local suffragette and trade unionist. Throughout the project, the students’
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