The Museum of Oxford, the only museum dedicated to Oxford’s story, offers newly redeveloped galleries showcasing the city’s rich history and vibrant communities. With interactive exhibits and dedicated learning spaces for learning workshops, it’s an engaging, educational destination perfect for local school trips. Explore Oxford’s fascinating past and present!

+ MY LIST

What We Offer Visiting Schools

Dive into Oxford’s fascinating history and culture with our educational programs designed just for schools. We offer hands-on sessions that connect directly with what students are learning in class. Whether it’s exploring artifacts or understanding how the city has changed over time, we make the history of Oxford and its people come alive.

Why Choose Us for an Educational Visit

Museum of Oxford has been recently revamped to show off the best of Oxford’s past in a way that’s exciting and memorable. Our workshops look at the local history of Oxford, something you will not find elsewhere in the city. From interactive workshops to expertly planned visits, we make sure students get the most out of their time here.

Subjects and Topics Covered

Our educational programs cover a range of subjects and topics, ensuring that students have the opportunity to explore different aspects of Oxford’s and its peoples’ history and story. Through workshops such as “Anglo-Saxon Oxford” and “Made in Oxford,” students delve into key themes ranging from medieval life to industrial innovation. Our curriculum-aligned sessions address subjects including history, geography, citizenship, and more, providing a learning experience that encourages critical thinking and inquiry. By engaging with authentic artifacts and interactive exhibits, students gain a deeper understanding of Oxford’s past and its relevance to the present day.

Accreditation and Awards

The Museum of Oxford is a fully accredited museum with Arts Council England, member of the Museums Association and past award winner of a Museums and Heritage Award in 2020.

Group Sizes Catered For

We can cater for small groups as well as larger ones. Most of our workshops are designed for a class of up to 34 pupils but we can consider larger groups for some workshops or sequential bookings in a day to cater for larger groups.

Itineraries, Resources, and Workshops

Our experienced education officers are dedicated to assisting schools with inquiries and coordination to ensure a smooth and successful visit. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise in educational programming, they are available to provide guidance on curriculum alignment, workshop selection, and logistical planning. Whether you have questions about scheduling, resources, or special needs, our education team is here to help. Please contact us to see how we can support your visit and enhance your students’ learning experience.

We offer the following workshops

Anglo-Saxon Oxford: Interactive session exploring artifacts, dressing up, aligning with KS2 History, offering pre/post-session resources.

Home Front Oxford: Step into World War II Oxford with our engaging museum workshop. Uncover the Home Front stories of Air Raid Wardens, war workers, and evacuees. Explore Oxford’s pivotal role in winning the war.

Made in Oxford: Group activities, debates on influential figures, honing evidence-handling, persuasive language skills in interactive setting.

Moving Oxford: Hands-on activities, maps exploring transport’s impact on city’s growth, fostering critical thinking about its future.

The Dark Side of the Victorians: Immersive re-enactment of real-life trial, promoting empathy, understanding of historical events, takes place in a real Victorian courtroom.

From Bikes to BMW: Hands-on exploration of William Morris, Morris Motors, and BMW artifacts, encouraging critical thinking about Oxford’s industrial evolution.

Unearthed: Hands-on exploration of archaeological finds, inquiry-based learning, promoting deeper understanding of history and archaeology.

Risk Assessment

All activities take place in Oxford Town Hall. Museum and Town Hall risk assessments are shared with groups and schools taking part in a workshop. All group and school leaders are invited to make a pre-visit to help them form their own risk assessment.

Education Department Information

Please call the museum on 01865 252334 or send us an e-mail to museum@oxford.gov.uk if you have a query. Alternatively, our school visit webpage at www.museumofoxford.org/learn/schools, this page lots of information about the workshops on offer as well as FAQs for group visits to the Museum. There is a special schools enquiry form that can also be filled out on our website.

Pricing Information

Object handling workshops are £4 per student or group member, with a minimum charge of £75 for small groups.

Gallery-only visits are £2 fee per student or group member. This is free for schools and FE colleges in Oxfordshire if pre-booked.

Lunchroom hire is £10 for 30 minutes.

Invoice fee is £5 should you need one.

Facilities

We offer two dedicated learning spaces equipped with modern audio and visual aids to support engaging school workshops. Our handling collection covers a wide rage of

themes to allow in-depth hands-on learning for visiting groups taking part in a workshop. Two accessible toilets are also available for groups using the learning spaces.

Accessibility and Disabled Facilities:

The Museum of Oxford is completely accessible. For more information, please see our Accessibility page, www.museumofoxford.org/plan-your-visit/access. We have level access to all areas of the Museum and there are 2 accessible toilets on site.

Opening Hours

We’re open and ready to welcome school groups during our regular hours. Whether you’re planning a morning visit or an afternoon trip, we’re here to make it happen. We normally allocate a 10 am to 12 noon or 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm slot on most Mondays to Fridays for pre-booked schools and groups taking part in an object handling workshop. We can amend these timings on some dates so please do enquire if need something different. Gallery only self-led visits can be prebooked for visit during our regular opening hours of 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday. We close Bank Holidays and Sundays.