Schools
Our education programme has been designed to provide memorable and engaging experiences for your students.
Get hands-on with history on an inspiring school trip to the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum. Our lively costumed instructors deliver taught sessions that explore local history, the 1700s, the life and work of Samuel Johnson, and significant people from Lichfield’s past. Alternatively, you can bring the Museum to your classroom by borrowing one of our resource boxes which provide six weeks of fun and stimulating activities.
Taught on-site sessions – key stages one and two
Taught on-site sessions are delivered by our experienced costumed instructors.
Whilst exploring the Museum children will learn about Samuel Johnson and discover what life was like in the 1700s. Our round-robin activities, covering everything from quill writing to press printing, food and drink to clothing, encourage children to imagine what it was like for Samuel to write his dictionary.
For the second half of the visit an interactive session is held in the Guildhall, where children will learn about important historical figures from Lichfield in the 1700s. This session also explores four key topics:
Crime, criminals, and punishment
Art, culture, and education
Science, engineering, and industrial revolution
Army, exploration, and empire
A visit lasts a full day and includes a lunch space, somewhere to store bags and coats, and use of the toilets in the Guildhall, which is only a two-minute walk from the Museum.
You can bring up to three classes on one visit.
Visits cost £140 + VAT per class. Accompanying adults are free of charge.
We offer school sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Taught sessions must be pre-booked at least one month in advance. To make a booking, or to find out more please email sjmuseum@lichfield.gov.uk
What teachers say about our taught on-site sessions:
“Materials were fantastic and more schools should use the valuable resources of the museum, staff and online materials”
“It was a great visit, the children really enjoyed themselves – as did the staff”
“Excellent for bringing history alive”
Taught on-site sessions – key stages three and four
Inspiring sessions for Key Stages 3 and 4 are in development. We will update our website once they are available.
Resource boxes – key stages one and two
Our resource boxes provide six weeks’ worth of fun and engaging activities for use in your classroom. The contents help your class to discover the life and times of Samuel Johnson.
Each week has a different task and an accompanying introductory film to play to your students.
The box contains some handling items, and the tasks have been created with standard classroom supplies (like paper and card) in mind.
Resource boxes cost £35 + VAT To hire for six weeks. To make a booking or to find out more, please email sjmuseum@lichfield.gov.uk
Self-led visits
We welcome self-led groups of all ages. School groups can freely explore the Museum at their leisure. Our rooms are quite small, so we recommend that large groups split into smaller groups of up to 15 people or less with a minimum 15-minute interval between each group’s entry.
Standard free entry applies to self-led school visits. Donations are very welcome.
A visit to the Museum usually lasts between one and two hours.
To ensure our visitors get the best experience we request that any group of 10 or more people pre-book their visit at least one month in advance. To make a booking, or to find out more, please email sjmuseum@lichfield.gov.uk
Information about coach parking in Lichfield can be found here (external site)
‘Sir, in my early years I read very hard. I knew almost as much at eighteen as I do now.’
