Our online sessions help students engage in historical enquiry whilst staying in the classroom and interacting with Education Officers via videoconferencing or the virtual classroom.
Using documents from the collection, our enquiry-based sessions aim to deepen students’ understanding of evidence and develop their skills of analysis. We can broadcast to group sizes of between 8-35 students, and all groups must be accompanied by their teacher whilst the session takes place.
Online sessions last one hour and can take place throughout the school day subject to availability. Please select your preferred date and you will be prompted to indicate your preferred one hour slot when completing the booking form.
Please note that certain workshops can be taught at different Key Stages.
Once you have submitted your booking request, a member of the team will contact to confirm the booking and to make arrangements for a test of the equipment and software. The test must take place successfully before your online session can take place.
You can contact the Education team on educationbookings@nationalarchives.gov.uk if you have any questions about booking onto sessions.
Virtual classroom
We can connect with you online via our virtual classroom service. This interactive virtual environment enables students to participate in a live session led by an actor or an Education Officer from The National Archives. Students interact on computers or iPads to examine and annotate high quality digital images of original documents, and exchange ideas and ask questions via a chat-box and by microphone.
What does my school need to run a virtual classroom session?
The virtual classroom runs through Blackboard Collaborate. The programme requires Java Software, and can be downloaded onto your school network for free.
You will also need one webcam, microphone and enough computers or iPads for students to log into the virtual classroom individually or in pairs. Audio can be played through speakers in the classroom, or through individual headsets. A member of the team will contact your school in advance of your session to test the audio and video.
We run virtual classroom tasters which are a chance for you to try out the software with us before the actual session.
Videoconference
During a videoconference, students interact live with Education staff from The National Archives, or with actors. High quality scans of documents are projected into the classroom for students to analyse and interpret. Original documents can also be viewed via a bird’s eye camera. Students ask questions and share ideas with the education officer, and have the opportunity for paired or group discussion.
What does my school need to run a videoconference session?
Your school will need specialist videoconferencing equipment. This comprises of a television camera, microphone and CODEC (a piece of hardware or software that converts digital and audio data). We advise you to consult your IT co-ordinator if you are unsure whether you have specialist videoconferencing equipment, or require support setting it up.
If you do not have specialist equipment we can create a ‘browser’ link which can be copied and pasted into your browser. You do need an Ethernet cable connecting to the internet and preferably a whiteboard connecting to your PC.
Please contact educationbookings@nationalarchives.gov.uk should you have any questions.
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Virtual classroom sessions we teach:
KEY STAGE 2:
Four Days Hard Labour: what was life like for a Victorian child criminal? – Photographs, reports and drawings from our prison records are used to explore the lives of Victorian children who were classed as criminals. Pupils investigate Victorian attitudes to crime and punishment, and explore the cases of children imprisoned at Wandsworth Prison in the mid-19th century.
Henry VIII: image of a king: was appearance everything for a ruler in the 16th century? – Henry VIII used symbols and images to display royal power. In this exciting session, pupils work with original documents from Henry’s reign to investigate how he was portrayed as a great monarch.
Propaganda and the art of war: how did the British government encourage people to support the war? – Pupils explore original propaganda posters, photographs and film to compare their effectiveness in conveying powerful messages to a mass audience.
What is history?: How do historians know what to believe? – This exciting session gives pupils the opportunity to work with a range of primary documents selected around a specific theme. Pupils will gain an understanding of how different types of sources can be used to find out about the past, and how historians can use these sources as evidence.
KEY STAGE 3:
From the Front: how typical was Albert Edwin Rippington’s experience of war? – Exploring a range of letters written by soldiers who enlisted from the Great Western Railway to fight, students will investigate these men’s experiences of war; the conditions in the trenches and in reserve, and the impact that these experiences had on their morale and health of these men. Key stages 3-4.
Suffragettes: How can we find out about suffragettes and the reactions to their methods? – Students will explore methods used by suffragettes through handling original documents like newspapers and coded diaries. They will also examine the reaction to the movement by investigating prison records and government surveillance. This workshop encourages students to consider why so many records on this movement survive and what this reveals about how the authorities viewed suffragettes.
Resistance and Rebellion in the Caribbean: how did enslaved people resist? – In the Caribbean, enslaved workers continually resisted their conditions. From day to day acts of resistance, such as killing livestock and pretending to be ill, to full-scale armed revolts, enslaved people confronted those that enslaved them in very different ways. In this session students will examine fascinating original documents to explore the different methods of resistance enslaved people used to resist slavery and why these were so important in their pursuit for freedom.
The Sinking of the Titanic: why were so many lives lost in the disaster? – Exploring information and testimony submitted to the British government inquiry into the sinking of Titanic, students investigate why so many passengers and crew lost their lives in the early hours of 15 April 1912. Through close analysis of these documents, students link causes, reaching a conclusion about which factors were most significant.
Mangrove Nine: how much can documents from The National Archives reveal about the story of the Mangrove Nine? – A new virtual taught session aimed at KS3 or 4 students exploring the story of the Mangrove Nine. This story reveals themes of institutional racism, police discrimination and Black resistance. Students will examine a range of documents, from police witness statements to newspaper reports, which explore differing perspectives on this ground-breaking case.
KEY STAGES 4-5:
Medicine on the Western Front: how can we find out about medical treatment in the First World War?- Using original documents, from medical cards completed in the trenches to army service records, students explore fascinating personal stories from the First World War. This workshop develops students’ skills at selecting sources for particular historical enquiries. Students will investigate diverse experiences including a soldier with gas poisoning and a nurse suffering the psychological effects of working in a hospital.
Whitechapel: – how can we find about what Whitechapel was like in 1888? A new online workshop aimed at KS4 students exploring Whitechapel in the late 1800s. Students will develop their skills at analysing documents through a range of activities lead by an Education Officer. During the session they will be exploring visual documents such as maps and photographs as well as written documents such as the census.
Videoconference sessions we teach:
KEY STAGE 1:
Great Fire of London: how can we know what happened back in 1666? – This session introduces pupils to The National Archives and to some of the famous documents connected with the Great Fire of London. Pupils are introduced to primary source material as they investigate what happened in 1666 and develop their skills of historical enquiry.
KEY STAGE 2:
Four Days Hard Labour: what was life like for a Victorian child criminal? – Photographs, reports and drawings from our prison records are used to explore the lives of Victorian children who were classed as criminals. Pupils investigate Victorian attitudes to crime and punishment, and explore the cases of children imprisoned at Wandsworth Prison in the mid-19th century.
Henry VIII: image of a king: was appearance everything for a ruler in the 16th century? – Henry VIII used symbols and images to display royal power. In this exciting session, pupils work with original documents from Henry’s reign to investigate how he was portrayed as a great monarch.
Propaganda and the art of war: how did the British government encourage people to support the war? – Pupils explore original propaganda posters, photographs and film to compare their effectiveness in conveying powerful messages to a mass audience.
What is history?: How do historians know what to believe? – This exciting session gives pupils the opportunity to work with a range of primary documents selected around a specific theme. Pupils will gain an understanding of how different types of sources can be used to find out about the past, and how historians can use these sources as evidence.
KEY STAGE 3:
All Pals Together: would you like to meet our tommy, Henry Fairhurst? – Students share an hour in the life of a soldier from a Pals Battalion, Private Henry Fairhurst (played by a professional actor), as he talks about his experience of life in the trenches. Students are invited to chat with Henry during the session. Was it really all mud and blood in the trenches, or did Private Fairhurst see some benefits in what he was doing? Key stages 3-4.
Suffragettes: How can we find out about suffragettes and the reactions to their methods? – Students will explore methods used by suffragettes through handling original documents like newspapers and coded diaries. They will also examine the reaction to the movement by investigating prison records and government surveillance. This workshop encourages students to consider why so many records on this movement survive and what this reveals about how the authorities viewed suffragettes.
Resistance and Rebellion in the Caribbean: how did enslaved people resist? – In the Caribbean, enslaved workers continually resisted their conditions. From day to day acts of resistance, such as killing livestock and pretending to be ill, to full-scale armed revolts, enslaved people confronted those that enslaved them in very different ways. In this session students will examine fascinating original documents to explore the different methods of resistance enslaved people used to resist slavery and why these were so important in their pursuit for freedom.
Mangrove Nine: how much can documents from The National Archives reveal about the story of the Mangrove Nine? – A new virtual taught session aimed at KS3 or 4 students exploring the story of the Mangrove Nine. This story reveals themes of institutional racism, police discrimination and Black resistance. Students will examine a range of documents, from police witness statements to newspaper reports, which explore differing perspectives on this ground-breaking case.
KEY STAGES 4-5:
Medicine on the Western Front: how can we find out about medical treatment in the First World War?- Using original documents, from medical cards completed in the trenches to army service records, students explore fascinating personal stories from the First World War. This workshop develops students’ skills at selecting sources for particular historical enquiries. Students will investigate diverse experiences including a soldier with gas poisoning and a nurse suffering the psychological effects of working in a hospital.
Whitechapel: – how can we find about what Whitechapel was like in 1888? A new online workshop aimed at KS4 students exploring Whitechapel in the late 1800s. Students will develop their skills at analysing documents through a range of activities lead by an Education Officer. During the session they will be exploring visual documents such as maps and photographs as well as written documents such as the census.