The Education Centre at Cardiff Castle has been awarded the prestigious Sandford Award for excellence in heritage education.
A handful of heritage sites throughout the UK achieve the Sandford Award which is presented by the Heritage Education Trust. Cardiff Castle joins an elite group, ranked with the likes of Tower of London, Blenheim Palace, Hampton Court Palace and Edinburgh Castle along with many National Trust and English Heritage sites.
The judging panel, made up of professional educators including Ofsted inspectors, former head teachers and consultants are looking for best practice in the interpretation of the site, excellence in educational services and facilities and contribution to the understanding of local and national heritage. Above all, they are looking to see if every school visit is stimulating, educational and memorable for children.
The educational programme at the Castle has expanded year on year and new sessions added recently include World War 2 – Life on the Home Front, Tudor Music and Dance and Medieval Medicine. In addition, children can dress the part and learn all about servants’ activities in the Bute household or take part in storytelling sessions based on Welsh legends. Over 3,000 school children are already booked in for the forthcoming 2012/ 2013 educational programme, but there are some sessions which are still available and every effort will be made to accommodate everyone.
Commenting on the Awards, Cllr Huw Thomas, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture said,
“When the Education Centre was set up we used the Sandford Award as a standard to aspire to. We are delighted to have reached the mark and look forward to developing our service to schools and encouraging children to be excited about the past. This is a huge achievement and I am delighted the hard work of everyone at the Castle has been recognised. The Education Centre is a superb resource and has helped to bring the 2,000 year history of the site to life for generations of children and teachers alike.”
For more information on the Education Centre at Cardiff Castle and the educational programme for 2012/ 2013 please contact: Elizabeth Stevens on 029 2087 8110
www.cardiffcastle.com.
