Please note: this article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.

‘The 2,500 museums in the United Kingdom are a resource for public learning of exceptional educational, social, economic and spiritual value - a common wealth. This wealth is held in trust by museums for the common good, not just for our own time and society but for all times and all people’. (Anderson:1999) This wealth is available to teachers and children through visits to the many exciting museums and sites around the country. To tap into this wealth effectively however, teachers must consider carefully what they want to achieve during and as a result of their visit. Careful planning about the educational aims, as well as the necessary organisational and safety considerations, must be of paramount importance. Why are we visiting the site? What do we want children to understand as a result of this visit? How will the trip develop children’s historical understanding? These must be some of the questions that teachers ask themselves when planning to make use of a museum or site.