A city museum's education team has been awarded for its popular schools' learning programme.
Staff at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery were awarded the Sandford Award for Heritage Education which recognises excellence in educational services. The museum’s learning programme uses its world class collections to teach children about history, art and science in an inspirational and inspiring setting.
Entrants for Sandford Awards are assessed by a panel of independent judges. The current panel of judges is drawn from professional educationalists including OFSTED inspectors, former head teachers, education consultants and heritage property based education officers. The award is valid for five years.
The award judge, Eric Steed, who visited the museum, said he was greatly impressed by the services which they offered. He watched staff working with local school children as they dug for replica pieces of the Staffordshire Hoard, investigated 3000 year old ancient Greek pots and dressed a class member as an Anglo Saxon village chief.
On his visit Eric Steed, said: “To spend a day in visiting the Stoke-on-Trent Potteries Museum and Art Gallery is of itself a highly worthwhile enterprise. Its wonderfully stocked galleries have stimulating artefacts and displays to enchant everyone. To be fortunate to spend the day in the company of members of the museum’s education staff is doubly rewarding owing to their free sharing of knowledge in a friendly and very meaningful manner”.
Councillor Mark Meredith, cabinet member for economic development, culture and sport, said: “This is further recognition of the tremendous work being undertaken by museum staff. The museum has a wonderful variety of exhibitions and displays which go a long way towards our education programmes and it’s great that the hard work is being recognised at a national level.”
To find out more about the museums education programme teachers can visit
www.stoke.gov.uk/museum.
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For all media enquiries contact Steven Kennedy in the Communications Department at Stoke-on-Trent City Council on 01782 232987.