A research report has revealed that an additional £10m invested in educational programmes at regional museums and galleries by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council has led to a significant growth in the number of school visits. The research, carried out by the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries at the University of Leicester involved 1,000 teachers, 20,000 pupils and 36 museums in the North East, the West Midlands and the South West of England.
Across the three regions there was a 28% increase in the use of museum school services; 46% of visits were made by schools in the 20% most deprived wards in England; and 44% of teachers were taking a class to the museum for the first time. Teachers say they use museums less for older pupils than for younger classes, and look for enjoyment, inspiration and creativity as the most important learning outcomes. 94% of KS2 pupils agreed they had enjoyed the museum visit, and 87% agreed that a visit is useful for school work; and 87% of KS3/4 pupils agreed that they had learnt some interesting things from their visit.
Published: 17-05-2004