Courtesy Tank Museum
The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, has won a prestigious national award for its work with schools.
The highly prized Sandford Award for Heritage Education, which was instituted to promote a higher standard of education provision in museums, was awarded to the Museum for its ongoing work with local schools.
Over 5,000 school children visited the Tank Museum last year, attending a number of workshops covering History, English, Science and non-curricular subjects.
"The Tank Museum has worked hard over the years to improve what we can offer local schools," said Tank Museum Education Officer, Chris Copson. "Winning this award is a great boost for us, showing just how far we have come."
Judges were particularly impressed with the Museum's teaching rooms, the Trench Experience and Home Front House exhibitions and with the way the Museum has consulted widely with schools to develop sessions which meet their educational needs.
In one workshop highlighted by the judges' report, visiting children were fed at lunch with a menu taken from a World War Two ration book; including spam fritters and jam roly-Poly.
"The Tank Museum's superb collections are supported by some well thought out and imaginative educational programmes which can be adjusted to the requirements of individual groups." said Sandford Award Lead Judge Julian Humphrys.
"Everyone at the Museum seems to take a pride in the educational service provided - even the catering staff play their part by supplying 'wartime lunches' for visiting groups."
The Tank Museum Education team are taking bookings now for the next school year. For more information, see www.tankmuseum.org/schools or call Chris on 01929 405096 x 216.
