York Museums Trust

Learning and Community

The learning programme has continued to develop in both formal sessions for schools and informal events for adults and families. Overall 518 educational sessions were delivered to 390 schools during the year, which amounted to a 17% increase on last year. We have also, this year, added an adult learning programme of workshops and talks, with many partners including the Open Studios and CYC adult and community education. 1,133 people attended 43 events.

At the York Castle Museum the Studios have a varied programme ranging from Ketchup to Ice Cream making whilst at the York Art Gallery the Territories community art project goes from strength to strength. Now in its fifth year the Arts Council Yorkshire funded project has involved nine community groups – Castlegate Centre for Young People, Travellers Education at Canon Lee School, Salvation Army, York Blind and Partially Sighted Society, York Carers Group, Mental Health Group, Songbox, York Children’s Centres, Henshaw’s Society for Blind People. Additional funding for community projects was also secured from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). Also at the gallery we contribute to the national programme of Big Draw events across the country. In June Year 6 pupils from Heworth Primary School ran the gallery for a day with the help of our staff. Studio Saturday’s happen once a month with a variety of practical activities available to all.

Yorkshire Museum produced a book William and Alfie Meet the Romans aimed at early years children, which is a new and developing target audience. For families we celebrated the national Year of Darwin, opening up our own science lab for activities and Wild Wednesday’s in Museum Gardens was a great success during August, attracting over 2,000 people. Emphasis on science learning has continued to grow with support from the North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership (NYBEP).

Planning for supporting the changing curriculum as well as working with city partners on unlocking talent programmes has also been a key element of the work of the learning team. The first Create Your Future event in February, delivered with partners Creative York and NYBEP, was attended by over 300 post 16 students, undergraduates, graduates, creative practitioners and local businesses for skills development and networking opportunities, within the creative and cultural sector.

The Volunteers Scheme is growing with 208 active Volunteers over the year. The team enable us to open the York Observatory and provide exciting experiences in the Studios at the Castle and at York Art Gallery, as well as cataloguing the collections, undertaking research and doing other useful work.