We met Lord Mendoza, Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal & Emma Squire, Director of Arts, Heritage & Tourism in connection with #HistoricHighStreets – here’s what they said:-
Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed their work with the Heritologists and have learnt so much about their local area and significant people who contributed to the Abolitionist Movement in North Shields.
The team worked alongside staff at New York to plan and deliver purposeful and informative workshops. These built on pupils’ knowledge, enabling them to make connections with significant people in North Shields through the use of artefacts.
Our work in school was complimented by a visit to North Shields where children were encouraged to be curious and made connections within their learning, developing skills in other areas of the curriculum including fieldwork in geography.
A highlight for us was visiting Keith Barrett’s art studio where we were able to see a sculpture of Mary Ann Macham and ask Keith questions about the process of designing and making a sculpture.
As a result of this collaboration, our pupils have produced some excellent written work which they have been proud to share with families. The outcomes have demonstrated the engagement, excitement and genuine interest that this learning has provoked. Not only have our pupils developed their historical and geographical knowledge of the local area, but have been fascinated and proud of their heritage and culture.
Pupils and staff at New York are proud to be Honorary Heritologists.
Rebecca Blakey – Deputy Head, New York Primary School
“The Heritology Project has been a fantastic opportunity for our pupils. It has not only taught them about historical events and people, but also opened doors to explore how media and film-making can become powerful tools to share their learning. Our pupils have been incredibly enthusiastic throughout this project – a project which closely focusses on the community and where they live. The Heritology Team have done a super job in the delivery of this project and their passion and enthusiasm has certainly been passed on to our pupils.”
Mark Nugent – Headteacher, Waterville Primary School
“Building Self-Belief CIO worked with the Heritologists on a Fish Quay project, with Christ Church C of E Primary School in North Shields.
The project was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Heritologists team provided specialist outreach day support and expertise with regards to the work of North Shields artist Victor Noble Rainbird.
Their outstanding workshops were well planned and resourced, and engaged 50 young children across the day.
We look forward to partnering with them on future projects.”
Peter Thomas, Founder Building Self Belief CIO
“My year 5 class had a fantastic time working with the Heritologists. We learned about amazing people from our local area whose forgotten histories helped changed the world. We got to interview and film with cool, friendly people from the worlds of television and media, academia and religion. My class got excellent hands on experience using modern technologies to plan, create and film an interesting documentary about a story and subject we knew little about. They’ve gone home excited to share their experiences with their families.”
Nick Longford – Year 5 Teacher Waterville Primary School, North Shields
The Heritology Project adds something different to the learning process, and we support their aim of attracting young people to Heritage through emerging technologies, whilst highlighting the future opportunities that exist for them in the Tech Sector.”
Laura Dickinson .eLearning Lead Practitioner – North Tyneside Learning Trust
“Our Heritology afternoons were the highlight of each day, something that the children very much looked forward to. Learning about their local community, learners could uniquely blend heritage and technology in an exciting, innovative way. Favourite moments included working with the VR headsets to explore artwork, creating their own art using Spheros and of course, the film-making process itself. Pride within the local community was developed and the passion of the Heritologists team was infectious. The school community thoroughly enjoyed the finished, high-quality documentary film – we have intentions of making it onto The History Channel!”
Miss Barton, Year 5 Teacher Wellfield Middle School
“We were so lucky to be invited to work with the heritologists in June 2022 for a
project on North Shields, in particular researching the life of Victor Noble Rainbird.
What a privilege it was!
All of the Heritologists we worked with were enthusiastic, extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their work. This was passed on to our pupils who absolutely loved the sessions, so much so that two of our pupils continued their own research outside of school, visiting Victor’s grave and creating their own video for Youtube!
The morning we spent with the Heritologists comprised of brilliant activities where children used art and technology to really develop a sound understanding of and appreciation for the work of Victor Noble Rainbird. Pupils were in awe regarding how much they had learnt in just one day. We can’t wait to work with the heritologists again. So inspirational!”
Emma Wake, Year 5 Teacher Christ Church Primary School, North Shields
“I think it’s been an amazing opportunity for the children to work with Heritologists on something that’s really close to where the children live and some of their Grandparents worked. I think it’s really important that the children learn about their local Heritage and the history of where they live so that they can have that sense of pride about where they belong. The fact that they found out that Smith Dock was the largest Dry Dock and Ship Repairers in the world has blown their minds!”
Simone Adie – Year 5 Teacher – Percy Main Primary School
“Working in partnership with the North Shields Heritology Project provided a wealth of opportunities for our children through the production of a play based around life on the fish quay, as well as learning about the importance of the Wooden Dolly. We found that the high levels of interest from our children was a result of the knowledge and enthusiasm promoted by the Heritologists and their extended volunteers.”
Ben Hayden, Year 6 Teacher, Digital Learning Lead – Monkhouse Primary School
Year 5 class had a fantastic time working with the Heritologists. They were thoroughly inspired by the story of local artist, Victor Noble Rainbird. The team’s passion about the topic was infectious and the activities both engaging and accessible; ranging from discussion to local history and art. The children were still talking about their learning for days afterwards.
Miss Russell – History Lead, St Joseph’s Primary School
Why not send us an email to find out more?
Let’s build something together!
The North Shields Heritology Project 
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