How British Museum artefacts are coming out of the cabinets and into the classroom

"In one example, in late 2022, Billingham South Community Primary, Stockton, and St Joseph's Catholic Primary in Middlesbrough came together to select an object from the British Museum to study and savour. They chose a 3,500-year-old canopic jar, which became the centrepiece of exhibitions hosted by both schools and a focus of their history topic work. "The children were bouncing off the walls; we had children coming up to read the hieroglyphs," says Loretta Kilroe, the British Museum's curator for Sudan and Nubia."

"But what makes up a museum learning department? At the British Museum, it encompasses around 20 staff who are supported by a team of 70 artists, educators and museum teachers; this is supported further by around 500 volunteers. In relation to schools, Shani Crawford, the museum's head of learning and programmes, says that "most of our offer is geared towards Key Stage Two (KS2) students", primary school children aged between seven and 11."

British Museum in your Classroom takes museum objects into primary schools across England, allowing Key Stage Two pupils to handle and study ancient artefacts. Schools have hosted exhibitions and centered topics on selected items, such as a 3,500-year-old canopic jar shared between two Stockton and Middlesbrough primaries. The outreach programme links with local museums and shows, and relies on a learning department of around 20 staff, 70 contracted educators and about 500 volunteers. On-site offers include augmented-reality 'tablet tours', lecture-theatre presentations for multiple classes and smaller KS2 workshops to engage pupils directly with collections.

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