In your area

Text Home > In your area > South West > Heritage Education for All

Case study

Heritage for All

Applicant: Workers Educational Association
Location: Bristol, South West
Grant awarded: £232,500
Total project cost: £309,727
Grant programme: Heritage Grants
Type of heritage: Records and collections

Aims of the project
To run a three-year programme of heritage education at National Trust (NT) properties in the Wessex Area (Wilts. Glos, Bristol, Bath, Dorset & Somerset) and to develop the Workers’ Educational Association’s (WEA’s) links with disabled learners across the region.

Background to the project
This project was devised as a partnership between the NT and the WEA. The NT in the South West owns more than 20,000 hectares of land and 700 listed buildings and manages six national nature reserves. The WEA is the single largest provider of adult education in England. It has experience of working in partnership with other organisations to provide educational courses for people who would otherwise be unable to gain access to education, due to physical, intellectual or social barriers.

Before this project, the WEA’s education courses already covered a wide range of heritage-related topics, including historic buildings and landscape heritage. Several courses were based at NT properties in the region. The WEA found, however, that, while there was a high demand for courses, participants were generally middle-class, white and able-bodied. This project aimed to open up courses to disabled people and to encourage disabled people to get involved in NT and WEA activities in the South West.

The West of England Coalition of Disabled People acted as consultants and provided contacts with disabled groups.

What did the project involve?
A full-time project manager was appointed with overall responsibility for the project and specific responsibility for the whole of the Wessex region. Following the success of the project in its early stages, an additional project worker was employed with responsibility for the region was divided. These two posts were supported by the appointment of one full-time administrator.

The project manager liaised with organisations that are run by or provide services for disabled people, in order to provide a fully accessible and innovative programme of heritage education activities at NT properties. HLF funding also provided support for disabled participants, such as specialist transport, care assistants and sign language interpretation. Heritage Education for All (HEFA) began in February 2002 and will run until January 2005. While the educational sessions, mostly based at NT properties, are open to all, the project target is to achieve 50% take-up by people with disabilities.

In autumn 2002 the first ‘taster’ sessions took place, including a Roman food and cooking workshop at Chedworth Roman Villa, a short course and visit to Brownsea Island, an art day at Studland Beach and National Nature Reserve, and a day at Dyrham Park to find out what life was like for a Victorian servant.

Training is being provided for staff and volunteers in disability equality and equal opportunities.

What difference did the project make?
The project is proving very successful in helping to widen audiences for heritage and to make heritage education accessible to people with disabilities. As of July 2004 it has exceeded its targets.

Attendance at the sessions is helping to improve the confidence and motivation of people who were previously excluded from learning about heritage. Some centres have established their own relationships with NT outside of the project. Marlborough Resources Day Centre, for example, now has direct links with the NT property of Stourhead. Respondents to a student consultation session held at the NT’s Montacute House, Somerset, in June 2004 expressed a high level of satisfaction with course content and organisation, and a widely shared appreciation of the social and personal benefits of attending (see above). The project is establishing a long-term programme of fully accessible heritage education courses. It has developed a new curriculum in heritage education that can be adapted to meet the needs of any audience across the country.

From the NT’s point of view, the project has brought about much greater awareness within the organisation of access issues and provided training for NT staff in disability equality and support.

How did the project meet our criteria?
The project increased access to heritage by helping people with disabilities to engage with heritage, leading to greater understanding and enjoyment of heritage, as well as new skills and confidence for participants.

Useful tips
Vanessa Glasgow of the WEA comments, ‘This project took time to get going – a lot of groundwork needed to be done before the educational programme was up and running. For this kind of educational project, it’s essential to start by looking at the needs of the learners.’

FEEDBACK

‘Started a learning curve myself and meeting others with the same problems – or different. Shown the history and traditions promoted on the course. Lifeimproving courses.’

‘I used materials not attempted before and took home the results of my efforts. It has encouraged me to try them out again and hopefully improve.’

‘[I learned] that there were others like me, not as bad, or even worse. I also learnt that things improved a great deal, mainly because I was coping better.’

‘Partnerships between centres and HEFA have enabled students to suggest and do things they would not be able to do. I am at present feeling fulfilled. It makes me look forward to the next day.’

‘It was nice to meet people with disabilities, different to myself and so encouraging to see how we all got on. It’s made an immense difference to myself to get out of the house and to learn so much.’

Responses to student consultation, June 2004

Graphical Site | | | |