Dewsbury: Bringing Local Heritage into the Classroom
Historic England’s Heritage Schools programme and Dewsbury Living Market Town Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) have enabled local schools in Dewsbury to broaden their understanding of local heritage and the role this can play in regeneration.
Dewsbury, a historic market town in West Yorkshire, was once the world's leading producer of recycled cloth. The textile industry brought significant growth to the town in the 19th century.
The Dewsbury Living Market Town HAZ worked with the Heritage Schools programme and the Dewsbury Townscape Heritage Initiative to support 12 Dewsbury schools in making greater use of their local history in the classroom.
Supporting teachers with local knowledge
The project partners delivered a series of 6 training events for local teachers. The training events allowed teachers to meet the people involved in the Dewsbury HAZ and share their knowledge of the town's heritage.
To help tell the story of Dewsbury, schools went on a town trail of local heritage sites, led by the Dewsbury Townscape Heritage Officer, John Lambe. This included buildings newly renovated and those due for development within the HAZ.
Following the training and trail, 10 sites were selected to create a new child-friendly town trail for both school and public use, known as 'The Dewsbury Beeline Heritage Trail'.
A set of accompanying teaching resources were also created, available online for all schools to download.
Learning outcomes
The children learnt about their local heritage through the trail and gained an understanding of the role heritage can play in regeneration, making places better for the future whilst celebrating their past.
The teachers benefitted from developing a bespoke curriculum connected to significant local sites and events and creating high-quality learning resources. These included bespoke school maps and aerial photograph packs to help children know and identify with where they live.
The project also successfully brought together people from different professions and sectors of the community with a shared interest in their locality, who might not otherwise have had an opportunity to meet.
A follow-up event to launch the trail with additional schools was held online due to COVID-19 restrictions. Over 35 teachers from schools beyond the initial cluster of 12 Dewsbury schools attended the virtual event.
Heritage Schools Award
As a result of the programme, Earlsheaton Infant School was awarded the prestigious Heritage Schools Award for its excellent practice of building local history into the curriculum.
Inspiring children to value and protect heritage
The Dewsbury HAZ and Heritage Schools project has enabled teachers to be knowledgeable, skilled, and confident in using their local heritage in the classroom and across the curriculum.
Importantly, school children in Dewsbury have a greater sense of identity and belonging through place.
Thanks to the project's success, schools within the Dewsbury HAZ have an enhanced understanding of how their local heritage relates to the national story. They are inspired to value and protect the heritage around them, now and into the future.
