Some good news for hard-pressed parents. More school children will be able to visit the Roman Baths and Victoria Art Gallery for free thanks to a new Free School Visits scheme launched by Bath & North East Somerset Council.
Free visits and learning sessions will be available to state-funded primary and secondary schools across the UK where 30% or more of pupils receive free school meals. This scheme builds on the council’s emphasis on making heritage and culture accessible for all. Booking is now open for Free School Visits from September.
Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic & Cultural Sustainable Development, Bath & North East Somerset Council, said:
“High-quality, immersive school trips should be accessible to all students. We understand that cost can be a significant barrier for schools, and we hope that our new offer of free entry and free learning sessions for eligible schools will make a difference. We are committed to sharing Bath’s rich heritage and, through this new initiative, we aim to ensure that more children can experience the excitement of learning in an unforgettable setting.”
The Roman Baths is one of the most complete time capsules of Roman Life in Britain, and each year brings the past to life for more than 30,000 school children. Schools can enjoy self-guided visits to the site as well as curriculum focused teaching sessions in the state-of-the-art Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre. The award-winning learning programme invites school groups to discover Roman life and culture, explore feats of engineering and science, and get hands on with history with collection handling and archaeological digs in the immersive investigation zone.
The Victoria Art Gallery in the heart of Bath welcomes students of all ages to learn about art and develop their creativity. Learning sessions offer immersive, interactive and accessible ways to explore the Gallery’s collection and temporary exhibitions of contemporary and historic art – and share the stories of artists and their work.
Lindsey Braidley, Learning & Participation Manager at Bath’s Heritage Services, says:
“Experiencing history and art firsthand is invaluable for young learners. Not only do school visits enhance learning, but engaging with heritage also provides significant benefits for health and well-being. For many children, a school trip to a museum or gallery might be their only opportunity to discover heritage and culture, and we want to ensure this is available to as many students as possible.
As well as offering a memorable way to discover history, a visit to the Roman Baths can inspire conversations around culture, science, lifestyle, engineering, health, and other subjects across the curriculum. We look forward to hearing from eligible schools to arrange their free visit.”
Booking is now open for Free School Visits for eligible schools planning trips from September.
Alongside the new UK wide Free School Visits scheme, all school groups in Bath & North East Somerset already enjoy free entry to both the Roman Baths and Victoria Art Gallery, with no additional eligibility criteria.
For the Roman Baths visit: www.romanbaths.co.uk/schools
For Victoria Art Gallery visit: www.victoriagal.org.uk/schools