Discovering Medieval

Schools

Discovering medieval are a complimentary teaching aid aimed at helping to bring history alive in the classroom . Our displays are based on the subjects in the text books they study from. We therefore work well either as an introduction to the subject, a revision aid, or possibly even an end of year treat.

All of our displays are presented in a fun, colourful, educational and interactive manner. We like to ensure that everyone in the class is involved in some way. We have found through experience that one of the ways that children learn best is by touching and interacting with the history. Really becoming involved and hands on. The displays can provide a wonderful experience for pupils with special needs such as those who are visually or audially impaired as there are so many things to touch and smell and do.

We are pleased to annouce our displays now cover all age ranges from 5 to 16 year olds. The displays work well for all age ranges as they are so visual and involving. After many requests from teachers, we have now decided to leap forward in time 200 years in 2008 and include a display on the Civil War. Details will be posted when the display is in place.

Please click on the relevant links below:

Primary schools - Life in a castle

Key Stage 3 - Medieval life

GCSE - Medieval medicine & crime and punishment (see us on the new Hodder & Murrary CD on medicine through time).

Testimonials - References for our displays

Guidelines on how to prepare for a display - Please read these before booking us & well before the date of the display

Cost
The displays above take from 1 to 2 & a half hours but can be varied in time or subject to suit. Please view the seperate pages for Primary, Key Stage 3 and GCSE for information on each. The price is dependent on what you are hiring us for, how far we have to travel and whether you'd like to book us for more than one day. For most schools the cost should be somewhere between £3.70 and £5.00 per head and to help your funds stretch further you could ask the parents to subsidise the day by donating an amount towards it. By hiring us you will be saving money and hassle by not having to organise travel to an outside venue, including expensive coaches, you will only need 1 teacher per 30 students present, not one per 10 on outside trips, thus saving you even more money on hiring in substitute teachers. It will also disrupt the pupils and teachers days far less than an external trip which can be difficult to arrange. Although we can't provide the castle we do provide a fun educational experience, designed specifically around the subjects they study.

There will usually always be the 2 key members attending and we hire in additional people as we need them, usually on a basis of 1 Discovering Medieval member of staff per 15-20 students, which gives us the benefit of being able to involve larger groups at once but still speak to them on a personal level. We provide a fun and interactive learning experience with lots of reproductions of medieval items, plus our combined experience and knowledge.

What do I need to do to prepare for a medieval display at my school?

We have produced guidelines on how to prepare for a display. Please read these before we arrive to give a display and before agreeing to hire us. At present they are most pertinent to the KeyStage 3 display but they are being revised.

What areas do you cover?
As we live in North Essex, we cover most of the South East area including, Kent, Sussex, Surrey, London, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and some parts of Northamptonshire but will travel further afield for an additional fee. Contact us to talk about the possibilities.

CRB Disclosures
Both key members of Discovering Medieval have enhanced CRB disclosures which can be provided on request.

Insurance
Discovering Medieval have public liability insurance for up to £5,000,000 but we take the utmost care to ensure that our displays and talks whilst being fun are very safe. Safety talks are given and risk assesments and certificates of insurance can be provided upon request. Children will not be allowed to partake in the armour and weapons section if their behaviour is not deemed acceptable to Discovering Medieval. For queries about any of the above, please speak to Paul Hamilton-Viall .

Cancelling a display

Please note that we charge a cancellation fee if you cancel a booking after signing our contract. This will be 10% if more than 30 days before the first date of the display or 50% if 30 days or less prior to the first date of the display. This is because we may have had to turn away other work for the date you have booked and we may not be able to refill the date at such short notice. Please therefore do no pit us against other activities on an acivity week. Given the choice of Alton Towers or another day staying in school, most kids would chose going out, however exciting the day would be! We are an educational tool, suitable for any time of year, not just for activities weeks.

Contact us
To find out more information or to make a booking please contact
Karen Hamilton-Viall. If you do not elicit an instant response please don't worry as we may be working a week of 15 hour days! We will however endeavour to respond as quickly as possible. E-mail is the best medium to contact us:

Please replace (at) with the @ symbol if you wish to e-mail us.

Tel: 07910 264735

e-mail: karen(at)discoveringmedieval.co.uk