What opportunities are there, for students to experience real history?
Last week, my family enjoyed an exclusive sleepover in our very own themed lodge at Warwick Castle, set in a picturesque woodland grove on the river bank within the Knight’s Village! I was lucky enough to take part in the education programme and this post captures the highlights of our weekend at Warwick Castle with my family, including a perspective as a teacher looking at the educational facilities.
Warwick Castle offers the ultimate learning outside the classroom experience for school groups and gives them the opportunity to experience real history, first hand! From a teachers perceptive, it’s just the perfect excuse to escape the classroom and let the teaching take place in front of you!
Educational Visit?
Warwick Castle encourages teachers to focus their trip around a topic they’re studying in the classroom, offering a wide choice of cross-curricular guided tours and workshops. These guided extras are led by the Castle’s History Team, however, there’s plenty of history to experience all around the Castle for those that want to lead the class themselves! It’s perfect for teachers and those considering visiting with students, whatever their age.
To speak to the Education Team about a visit, email education@warwick-castle.com or visit their website. Readers can can get 10% entry discount on school visits to visit Warwick Castle and/or Sea Life (Birmingham) throughout 2017, by using this special promo code: #TeacherToolkit
*Terms and Conditions in footer.
Warwick Castle is committed to making life easier for teachers. In 2017, they’ve created pre and post lessons plans, providing free teacher packs upon arrival and offering lunch and storage spaces on-site to offer the complete experience and ensure your day runs smoothly.
Students can step back in time to explore 1,103 years of history through the ancient towers and ramparts, state rooms and time tower, where visitors can discover more about the Castle and its previous inhabitants.
The Knight’s Village:
We arrived on Friday morning and headed straight for the castle grounds. It was magnificent! I was surprised at how little I actually knew about the history of the castle, its story and how well-kept the building and the surrounding landscape is. It is a piece of English heritage we should be proud of.
As part of our immersive experience, my son was given a tour of the castle rooms in the Great Hall, the armoury and the various people, famous for living within the great walls. There are some fabulous stories to be heard. We enjoyed a cinematic experience, re-visiting the 1000-year journey of the castle, the wars and landowner escapades! My son was also had a one-to-one sword fighting lesson with Sir Samuel(!), one of Warwick Castle’s very own knights in shining armour! It was just brilliant.
In the evening, we stayed at the Knight’s Village for a magnificently medieval experience, set in a wooded 64-acre estate. It was a real joy to sit alongside other families with knights playing to the crowd as we ate a hearty-meal and drank rich wine. It was probably the highlight for most parents …
What else?
We managed to witness the Mighty Trebuchet (the largest working medieval siege machine in the world) catapult cannonballs over 150 metres in to the air! There is also a twice-daily Flight of the Eagles showcasing birds of prey, including vultures and eagles soaring over the castle whilst the remarkable Horrible Histories Maze features long-gone eras from England’s past.
This is a great place to bring your family for the weekend. There is plenty to do for people – even for those without a love of history. The castle grounds are beautiful and the Knights Village is immaculate, homely and very good value for money. We would certainly go again! And as for a school visit? Well, there is so much to do and so many cross-curricular projects that could be linked to the curriculum and the work teachers do in the classroom, it’s a no-brainer from me! (@TeacherToolkit)
My son loved this and it was great entertainment for us both as parents. I could really see why ~100,000 students and their teachers visit the castle every year …
Terms & Conditions: School trip must be booked in 2017; Discounts entry tickets only, excludes package add-ons; Excludes weekends and peak ticket time – see pricing calendar timetable via attraction websites; Offer expires 31st July 2017.
