EDUCATION
Keep on learning all summer long Learning doesn’t just take place in the classroom. Museums and heritage properties abound through the area. Many have exhibitions and interactive sessions that back up National Curriculum topics and sometimes entrance is free or low cost. And the children will be enjoying themselves so much they won’t notice they are actually learning new information! Heritage and history Visit National Trust properties such as Chartwell (for exhibition on Churchill and WWII), Quebec House in Westerham (for exhibition on General Wolfe), Knole House (for exhibition on history and conservation), Bodium Castle (for video and exhibition on crusades), Smallhythe Place (imaginative theatre and costume museum). Entrance fee. For details on these and other properties see www.nationaltrust.org.uk For information on Leeds Castle, Hever Castle and Chatham Historic Dockyard see pages 11&12. Maidstone Museum Maidstone Museum, St Faith’s St, Maidstone, ME14 1LH. Learn more about the Maidstone Museum dinosaurs, examine the collection of oil paintings in the Bentlif Art Gallery, or learn about the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent. Extra craft and children’s workshops often running for small cost. Free admission. Info at www.museum. maidstone.gov.uk Lullingstone Roman Villa Lullingstone Lane, Eynsford, DA4 0JA.
Among the most outstanding Roman villa survivals in Britain and situated in an undercover visitor’s centre. A specially commissioned light show brings the villa to life, and galleries display Lullingstone’s collection of Roman artefacts. Kids can try on the Roman costumes and play games from the period. Admission fee applies. Info at www.english-heritage.org.uk Down House Down House, Luxted Road, Downe, BR6 7JT. The home of Charles Darwin who devised the theory of evolution, this hosts exhibitions and activities to encourage children to learn about scientific developments and discoveries. Entrance fee. Info at www.english-heritage.org.uk Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry Museum Hever Castle, Hever Rd, Hever, Edenbridge TN8 7NG. Displays take the visitor through the 19th century, the Boer War (when the Sharpshooters were formed), the two World Wars, and modern times. Interactive touch screens bring to life the stories of people who served in the regiment. Access included in the grounds ticket price.
Info at www.ksymuseum.org. uk/KSYM Royal Engineers Museum Prince Arthur Road, Gillingham, ME7 1UR. Discover the story of the Royal Engineers and how they have helped the British Army live, move and fight for over 300 years. Kent’s largest military museum. Admission fee applies. Info at www.re-museum.co.uk Fort Amherst Khartoum Road, Chatham, ME4 4UB. Over 300 years of military history, 20 acres of parkland, daily tours of the network of underground tunnels.Take a stroll to the highest point of the Fort to enjoy commanding views. Free admission to grounds and cafe. Tunnel tour fee applies. Info at www.fortamherst.com Rochester Castle Castle Hill, Rochester, ME1 1SW. Guarding an important crossing of the River Medway, this imposing fortress has a complex history of destruction and rebuilding. Family
Please check opening times and charges before setting out to avoid disappointment. For more ideas on educational trips and venues, check our Out and About and What’s On pages p10-16.
trails and craft activities. Admission fee applies. Info at www.english-heritage.org.uk Tonbridge Castle Castle St, Tonbridge TN9 1BG. See and hear what it would have been like to be a Lord or Lady 700 years ago. The castle tour is a recreation of medieval life; it is dark in places, has life-like models and involves climbing many steep steps, so may be unsuitable for very young children. Admission fee applies. Info at www.tonbridgecastle.org Crossing the River Medway – A story of the Rochester Bridge Trust On tour at Tonbridge Castle, Castle St, Tonbridge TN9 1BG until 31 January 2020 Find out more about 2,000 years of bridges at this exhibition featuring historic artefacts, interactive displays and Langdon’s den, the dedicated children’s area. Entry is via paid access to Tonbridge Castle, but a 20 per cent discount voucher can be downloaded at www.rbt.org.uk/bridgeworks
Teachers ‘As Good As Tests’ at Predicting Success Sats are no better than teachers at predicting pupil’s GCSE and A-Level results, a study has found. The study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, found teacher assessments at age 7, 11 and 14 were just as effective as using Sats results to predict pupils’ subsequent exam success. Researchers say their findings, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, question whether the benefits
of standardised exams outweigh the costs. A lead researcher Dr Kaili Rimfeld, from the King’s College London, said: “We have shown for the first time that teacher assessments predict GCSE and A-level results just as well as earlier exam scores. “The fact that exam scores correlate so highly with the teacher assessments raises questions about the value of the testing culture that characterises compulsory education in the UK.”
More info at www.kcl.ac.uk/news www.familiesonline.co.uk
Love Opportunity Love Success
Love Russell House 01959 522352 An independent prep school for boys and girls aged 2-11
www.russellhouseschool.co.uk email: editor@familieswestkent.co.uk
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