Education programme in North East England launches with support from The National Archives Trust

January 29 2026

We are delighted to support the launch of The National Archives’ first locally delivered education service, created in partnership with North East Museums to bring the nation’s records directly to young people across the North East of England.

This new programme enables students to work with original archival material without needing to travel to London, thanks to an exciting collaboration with Tyne & Wear Archives at Newcastle’s Discovery Museum.

Pupils will have the opportunity to explore remarkable documents from both The National Archives and North East Museums’ collections.

Workshops will be delivered by experienced educators at the Discovery Museum, in schools across the region, and online. Sessions support the Key Stage 3 History curriculum as well as GCSE and A‑level History courses. A bursary is available to help eligible schools with travel costs to the Discovery Museum. Further information about the sessions and bursary scheme is available on The National Archives’ website.

The North East Museums education partnership is supported by The National Archives Trust and made possible through the generosity of Joanna & Graham Barker, the Barbour Foundation, Gregory Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg, the Bisset Trust, the Schroder Charity Trust and the Hadrian Trust.

Initiatives like the North East Museums education partnership are only possible through philanthropic support. To help us make archives more accessible for schools and young people across the country, please click here to donate online.

We are delighted to announce the launch of Sensing the Archives, a new workshop at The National Archives designed specifically for students who are blind and visually impaired.

This innovative workshop features specially designed 3D-printed versions of historic documents from The National Archives’ collection, including a medieval map and a wage slip for Tudor courtier John Blanke.

These tactile resources allow students to explore history through touch, with raised surfaces that can reproduce features such as churches, houses, moorland and even the position of troops lined up for battle. They can also represent the signatures of significant historic figures, including kings and queens.

Workshops are available for students from Key Stage I up to Key Stage 5. Supporting materials are provided in large print and/or Braille (grade 1 or 2) according to student needs. To make the workshop accessible to all, a bursary is available for schools to help cover travel and teacher costs. Further information about the workshops can be found on The National Archives’ website.

Sensing the Archives is supported by the Friends of The National Archives and The National Archives Trust, with the Trust’s support made possible through the generosity of the Powell Family Foundation, the Edith Murphy Foundation and the Spectacle Makers’ Charity.

Initiatives like Sensing the Archives are only possible through philanthropic support. To help us make archives more accessible for schools and young people, please click here to donate online.