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.

The National Archives Trust’s Foundational Supporters

September 19 2024

The National Archives Trust is pleased to announce the establishment of the National Archives Trust’s Foundational Supporters, a group of some of our most generous funders who have each made exceptional inaugural gifts to help establish new programmes and initiatives which expand engagement with our nation’s archival heritage.

The Trust would like to thank the following Foundational Supporters for their generosity: Joanna & Graham Barker, the Bisset Trust, the Clore Duffield Foundation, the John S Cohen Foundation, GRoW @ Annenberg, Simon Lough and Marc and Rachel Polonsky.

To find out more about the Trust’s Foundational Supporters and how you can become involved please contact Eleanor Leahy,  Head of Philanthropy, at Eleanor@nationalarchivestrust.org.uk

The National Archives Education Bursary Scheme launches with support from The National Archives Trust

July 12 2024

We are delighted to announce the launch of The National Archives Education Bursary Scheme, an important new initiative to support educational visits to The National Archives in Kew.  

Recognising that many schools face financial barriers to accessing school trips, the bursary scheme will offer £500 to schools wishing to take part in educational workshops at The National Archives.  

Workshops provide a unique opportunity for learners of all ages to get ‘hands-on’ with history. From iconic records such as Elizabeth I’s signature to the Empire Windrush passenger list, students experience the excitement of seeing a real piece of history in a facilitated session. With expert guidance from history educators, students investigate the past using documents in the collection and develop their skills in evidential understanding. 

Education workshops at The National Archives are free and so bursaries can support costs including travel or teacher cover, so that many more students are able to access exciting learning experiences. 

Applications for the bursary scheme are made to The National Archives and will open at 9am on Monday 2 September 2024 and close at 5pm on Friday 13 September 2024. To check eligibility, schools should visit The National Archives’ website for updates and to apply when applications open. 

The National Archives Education Bursary Scheme has been developed and is supported by The National Archives Trust, with contributions from Francesca Barnes, the Bisset Trust, Epsom College History Department, Dr P. Kay and Ms A. Jackson Kay, Simon Lough, the Maurice & Vivien Thompson Charitable Trust and Kit and Anthony van Tulleken. 

The bursary scheme relies on the generosity of those who share our commitment to providing more opportunities for schools to access our nation’s archival heritage. To contribute towards the programme, please click here to donate online. 

Welcoming New Trustees to the Board of the National Archives Trust

June 1 2023

We are delighted to announce the recent appointment of eight exceptional individuals to the National Archives Trust Board of Trustees:

• Kamini Banga – Chair of the Banga Family Trust
• Anita Bhalla OBE – Chair of Birmingham City University, Chair of B:Music, Governor of
  the RSC and Chair of WMCA Leadership Commission.
• Emma Haywood – Director and Principal Consultant, Bloomworks Legal
• Claire Horton CBE – Director General of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• Marc Polonsky – Managing Trustee of The Polonsky Foundation
• Shailesh Solanki – Executive Editor of Asian Media Group
• Peter Stewart –Director of the Townscape Consultancy
• Dr Karin von Hippel – Director-General of the Royal United Service Institute

Each new Trustee possesses a unique set of skills and expertise, acquired through years of dedicated work in their respective fields. From journalism to architecture, law to philanthropy, their diverse backgrounds perfectly align with the Trust’s commitment to support The National Archives in delivering world-class education and engagement activities, ensuring people of all ages can access the rich archival heritage of the UK.

The appointment of our new Board members, who join to form the charity’s board of twelve Trustees, signifies an exciting new chapter in the journey of the National Archives Trust.

Please stay tuned for future updates as the Trust embarks on its next phase to support the work of archives across the country.

For more information about the National Archives Trust Board – please visit the ‘Our People’ page

 

The National Archives Trust Launches with £500k pledge from Clore Duffield Foundation

February 11 2020

The National Archives Trust, a new independent education body, launched on 11 February at The National Archives in Kew, with the announcement of a £500,000 grant pledged by the Clore Duffield Foundation.

Sir Anthony Seldon, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper at The National Archives were joined by special guest, The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH as well as invited guests and friends.

Sir Anthony Seldon said: ‘The National Archives is a treasure trove, and holds the nation’s DNA. We are all richer when we are connected to our heritage, and it is a great privilege to be Chair of this exciting new organisation. Our history belongs to everyone, and we want these wonderful collections to be enjoyed by people across the nation.’

The Trust will be a registered charity, supporting world-leading education and engagement programmes that celebrate and promote the rich archival heritage of the UK, represented in the collections held by The National Archives and many other archives throughout the country.

The National Archives holds over 11 million records from over 1000 years of the nation’s history. It currently has an award winning education service, and a successful public engagement programme comprising exhibitions, talks, document displays, and themed evenings.

The National Archives Trust will build on this programme to bring our heritage to new audiences, including by touring events and exhibitions around the country so that families, tourists, and researchers across the nation can enjoy these incredible collections.

This first grant will contribute to the creation of a Clore Learning Centre at The National Archives. It will be the first archive to establish a Clore Learning Centre, and joins a network of over 65 museum, galleries, heritage and performing arts learning spaces across the UK.

Dame Vivien Duffield, Chair of the Clore Duffield Foundation said: ‘My Foundation has funded more than 65 Clore Learning Spaces across the UK – within a diverse range of galleries, museums, theatres, performing arts organisations and heritage sites – so we are delighted now to be extending that support to an archive for the first time, enabling The National Archives to engage many more young learners with its extraordinary collections.’

Sir Anthony Seldon said: ‘We are immensely grateful to the Clore Duffield Foundation for their support as we launch. It is wonderful that The National Archives will be the first archive to establish a Clore Learning Centre, and with their help, we will be able to give many more children the opportunity to have a first-hand encounter with history.’