Education

Half Day and Full day programmes

The Banquet in the Tunnel
The dramatic account of the first flood and PR underwater. Activities will involve dramatising, organising and advertising the underwater banquet held to restore confidence in the Tunnel project.
English/History Drama Recounts, Writing instructions, posters and advertisements

Meet Brunel Local History/Literacy
Screen presentation. How Brunel’s tunnel was made, write personal accounts, diary entries in hand made decorative paper diaries using recycled paper.
Local History/Literacy

Brunel and the Local area
Big map activity drawing outside with chalks, using large symbols to learn about the use of the river and changes over time. Group Map or individual maps. Accounts to take back to school. Paper/Mosaic activity about Thames river scenes and ships.
History/Geography/Art

Citizenship and Gifted & Talented
Arts projects improving your local area. Designing and making costumes on the theme of Thames Festival, taking part in the biggest torchlit parade in the country.

The Underwater Shopping Arcade
Working with clay to create commemorative plates for the opening of the tunnel, including packaging.
DT/Art products and packaging

Science: Forces, Bridge Building Workshop and History
Different forces at work in beam, arch and suspension bridges. Body sculpture and Quiz.
Science/Design and Technology

Thames Tunnel Fancy Fair
Cross curricular. The first Underwater Fair and Underwater Multi-Cultural Festival launched in 1852 and now held every year in Rotherhithe. The performers came from all over the world, and so did the audience. Students make peep shows and stereoscopes.
Art and History

The Educational Visit

The Brunel Engine House is a precious and remarkable resource for teaching and learning. The Education Team has delivered programme at most of the major National Collections, and will discuss with you any specific requirements.

Key Stage 2

The Engine House has been successfully running actor-led workshops for primary schools for the past seven years, covering Victorians and Local History.

We have worked locally with the Pumphouse Educational Museum, and nationally with the London Museums Agency, to develop a successful module, through four sessions, for QCA 12: How did life change in our locality in Victorian times? (see below)

Visits are supported by a Teacher’s Resource Pack for Key Stage 2, developed with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Key Stage 4

A visit supports learning across the curriculum in Science, History, Geography, Design and Technology but also throughout the Key Stages and for lifelong learning. We have established successful and ongoing programmes with City Technology Colleges looking at design technology and structures, and with other schools studying the works of the Brunels under the NC topic ‘Britain 1750-1900’. Resources examine how the expansion of trade and industrialisation affected the UK and the local area, and the effect of the Brunels’ work in terms of the development of the Port of London, and in the pioneering of a new technology that placed Britain at the forefront of this area of engineering for the next 50 years.

Visits are supported by a Teacher’s Resource Pack for Key Stage 4 students developed with a grant from Price Waterhouse.

In today’s world of equal opportunity, it seems appropriate to remind students that Brunel’s sister Sophie was nick-named ‘Brunel in Petticoats’ by the then Prime Minister, Lord North. Sophie showed greater promise and skill in engineering than her famous brother, and in different circumstances is likely to have made a better career…

Programme for QCA 12

How did life change in our locality in Victorian times?

What follows is the programme, as developed by the Museum. We are happy to adapt for your school’s particular needs.

Session 1: Census

Venue: The Pumphouse Educational Museum

Using census materials for 1881
Using pictures, the Rotherhithe Heritage Museum and individual workbooks.
Learning outcome:
Understand what a census return is and what can be learnt from it.
Extract data from a census return and record that information
Using census materials for 1891 and as above.

Session 2: People and places

Venue: The Brunel Museum

Looking at resource materials.
Identify the changes between 1881 and 1891
Speculate possible reasons for changes.
Meeting with Brunel’s grandson who will talk about the difficulties of living and working in Rotherhithe in Victorian times.

Session 3: Railways

Venue: The Brunel Museum

Speculate how people might have been affected by the railways.
Children present their ideas.

Using names and information from the census materials, groups role play their views about proposed railway/ extension of railway
IK Brunel leads this session.

Session 4: Evidence

Venue: am The Pumphouse Educational Museum

Foreshore walk to collect evidence of Victorian times. Children return to Museum to clean, examine and record evidence.
It is suggested that schools present their evidence as a classroom museum.
Venue: pm Cherry Garden Pier

Venue: pm The Brunel Museum

IK Brunels grandson meets the children to talk about changes.
Children draw and record changes whilst on the bank of the River Thames overlooking the old warehouses and Tower Bridge.

Extension

A Famous Visitor to your school
A Visit to The Brunel Museum by your school
A Programme over two or more sessions on QCA 12
Other programmes of actor lead sessions

For Enquiries or Bookings either email education@brunel-museum.org.uk or view the Contact Us page.