Could School trips be history?
Visits to Stonehenge for schools might be a thing of the past
Last updated 4th Oct 2023
English Heritage say school trips to historical sites like Stonehenge could soon be at an end.
The charity, which offers free trips to their sites for schools, has seen it’s costs for these trips increase by almost £1.50 per child since 2019.
That’s a rise of 63% and it’s projected to increase further amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Dr Dominique Bouchard, Head of Learning and Interpretation at English Heritage, says school outings are the only chance some children get to discover historical landmarks.
“There's nothing that's quite so inspiring as standing on the place something important happened,” she told Greatest Hits Radio.
Dr Bouchard added: “We want pupils to have the chance to realise that history isn't just facts and books, it's about real places, real events, real people just like them.
“And so when pupils go to Stonehenge, we want them to see what Neolithic people were able to build and then to think to themselves, ‘what if I could build something amazing?’”
A year-long fundraising campaign has been launched to help the charity combat the rising costs.
Dr Bouchard told GHR that children are the future custodians of England’s heritage and that inspiring them is vital.
“Part of our conservation work as a as a charity is to look after these places. But you know, of course part of that is inspiring and involving people in our work and that's essentially that's really an essential part of protecting and sharing our stories.
“If we if we don't act now to inspire the next generation, then who's going to keep the rich history alive?”
We can support English Heritage's Learning Appeal here.