Wow! We are coming towards the end of the school year and heading into summer so this is our last newsletter for this academic year.

We also now taking bookings for Terms 1 and 2 of next year!

It’s been great to welcome so many of you and see pupils learning through our collections.

Thank you to everyone who has shared feedback, filled out our SEND questionnaire or joined a teacher forum – it really helps us plan what we offer.

Wishing you all a great end to term and a relaxing summer.

The Learning Team

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Join us!

Our Facebook page is for teachers, home educators and anyone interested in learning with museums.

We share news, events, workshops and useful resources, as well as opportunities from other organisations. If you visit us, tag us in your trips or share your learners’ work – we love seeing it and may reshare.

We’re growing our page and would love you to follow along!

Find Museums Learning on Facebook

What's new

Literacy Loan Box - Dinosaurs & fossils
We love dinosaurs and we love reading, so we've put the two together!
Inspire children's creativity with real and replica fossils, costume and stories including the museum's very own Doris the Pliosaur. Contact us for details.

SEN/D evaluation results
Thank you to everyone who completed our questionnaire about provision for children with SEN/D at our museums. You've suggested ways we can improve our buildings and programmes, so we will be putting these in place over the summer.

Storytelling in Feb 2027
Make a note in your calendar - we holding another Storytelling week at M Shed in the spring but making it bigger and even better! Look out for more details in our next newsletter in September.

Keep updated and bookmark this page

A tudor banquet table in a museum with fake food stuffs on table

Tudor Bristol

We’re fortunate to have such a fantastic resource in The Red Lodge Museum, bringing Tudor Bristol to life. This historic landmark on Park Row was built in 1579 for Sir John Young as a guest house and entertainment pavilion for the Great House, now the site of the Bristol Beacon.

From September, we’re introducing new learning workshops. Pupils will explore the house and gardens while discovering what life was like in Tudor times.

Can't visit? You can borrow a Tudor Bristol loan box and join one of our live webinars, where our Museum Educator uses objects and images from the collection to give insight into everyday life in the past.

Self-led visits are also welcome - these just need to be booked in advance.

Discover our Tudor Bristol learning offer

children all look at a large oil painting in a museums as part of a school outing

Next online Teacher Forum 14 October

Calling all KS1 and KS2 teachers with a passion for art!

We are reviewing our Primary Art offer and we’d love to hear from teachers with an interest in art teaching. We’re looking for teachers who are keen to share their ideas, experience and expertise.

You’ll have the chance to find out more about the resources and learning opportunities we currently offer, and to help shape the direction of our future programme.

As a thank you for your time, the first ten teachers to sign up and take part will receive a pair of free tickets to one of temporary exhibitions.
The next forum is after school, online on 14 October.

Book your slot on next Teacher Forum

a brown leather suitcase with an embossed figure of lady on

Coming this Autumn: new Migration resources for Key Stages 2-4

Bristol Museums has a new learning resource on the topic of Migration. Six filmed interviews with Bristol residents, who migrated to Britain at different points during the last 90 years, will provide answers to complex questions. Alongside these fascinating histories, children will use replica objects and facsimile archival documents to unpack Bristol’s migration history. The resources are designed to develop learners’ empathy and an understanding of the reasons why people leave their home countries to move to others.

From September, Bristol schools can book the 60-minute workshops. These are delivered by a member of the Bristol Museums Learning team in your school and cost £140 for one class and £85 per additional class.

For more information, please contact museumbookings@bristol.gov.uk

a young child speaking to a student holding an amphora pot in a Roman Villa archaeological site

Book your September school trip to Kings Weston Roman Villa

Give your class the chance to step inside local history!

Kings Weston Roman Villa is usually only open on selected public open days, but from 14 September, schools can book museum-led visits during a special schools week.

These sessions bring Roman Britain and archaeology to life through engaging, curriculum-linked activities. Pupils will explore the site and artefacts with museum experts.

Spaces are limited so book your visit before the villa closes for winter.

Explore Kings Weston Roman Villa

a person's hand hold a trilobite and dusts it with a paintbrush

Loan box updates

We have over 20 different loan boxes to support your classroom teaching. Each box contains a variety of real and replica artefacts, with some also including dressing-up items. You’ll also receive an object guide and practical activity ideas to help you make the most of the resources.

Our collection includes a Mary Anning loan box for EYFS, as well as boxes designed specifically for children with SEND. Some topics are also supported by accompanying webinars, such as our Tudor Bristol loan box.

Would you like your loan box delivered directly to your school? We’ll be delivering across Bristol in the week commencing 21 September 2026. Booking early is a great way to get organised ahead of the busy start of term.

Book your loan box

a thatched yellow cottage sits in lush park grounds

Blaise 100- celebration events

This year marks 100 years of Blaise Estate being in public ownership, with a special programme of walks and events running from 28 June to 22 October 2026.

Themes include wildlife and archaeology, the historic landscape designed by Humphrey Repton, and opportunities to visit areas not usually open to the public.

There are also guided visits to the Blaise Community Garden and St Mary’s Church, offering insight into the site’s history and its links to Bristol’s past.

All events are free (donations welcome), but booking is essential. This is a great opportunity for educators to build subject knowledge and gather ideas for bringing local history and the natural environment into the classroom.

Explore all Blaise 100 events

Museums Learning newsletter - Summer 2026