The National Archives Education Service

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The National Archives Education Service The National Archives Education Service page is aimed at teachers and educators. See website for queries & bookings.

Providing free
document based resources & taught sessions from KS1 up to A level. The Education Service provides free online resources and taught sessions, supporting the National Curriculum for history from key stage 1 up to A-level. Visit our website to access the full range of our resources, from Domesday to Britain in the 1960s, and find out about more about our schools programme, including new professional development opportunities for teachers. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/

All taught sessions and online resources are based around an enquiry; students investigate the past through original documents, to reach their own conclusions based on the evidence. They work with documents in their raw state from a letter penned by Catherine Howard confessing her love for Thomas Culpepper, to a secret Foreign Office memo analysing Khrushchev's attitude to Berlin in 1961. This approach encourages students to ask questions, think critically and reflect on the way in which historians use evidence to find out about the past.

Document of the Month!Registration of British Nationality for Frank Bailey, 1968.Catalogue ref: HO 334/1405/109922Born i...
14/10/2026

Document of the Month!

Registration of British Nationality for Frank Bailey, 1968.
Catalogue ref: HO 334/1405/109922

Born in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1925, Frank Bailey joined West Ham Fire Brigade in 1955 and served at Silvertown Fire Station.

This likely made him the first Black full-time firefighter in Britain.

After leaving the Fire Brigade in 1965, Frank went on to become a social worker, a legal advisor to Black youths at Marylebone Magistrates Court, and the star of a Google Doodle commemorating his life.

To learn more click the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalarchives/55572977870/

✍️ Lesson of the Week!Frustrated by the slow progress of the fight for equal voting rights, the Suffragettes adopted inc...
13/10/2026

✍️ Lesson of the Week!

Frustrated by the slow progress of the fight for equal voting rights, the Suffragettes adopted increasingly radical measures.

In this themed collection, teachers and students can explore a wide range of original source giving insights into the aims, methods and experiences of those involved in the women’s suffrage movement.

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/teaching-resources/suffragettes-on-file-1840-1912/

Image ref: ZPER 34/134

👀 Watch our film, Spotlight On… Illustrated London News!Join Visual Collections Specialist Sarah Castagnetti to explore ...
12/10/2026

👀 Watch our film, Spotlight On… Illustrated London News!

Join Visual Collections Specialist Sarah Castagnetti to explore an issue of the groundbreaking Illustrated London News – one of the first illustrated newspapers – and see how the news was reported in 1848.

Watch the film here:

https://youtu.be/li5FCgbcwZc

📜 Session of the Week:In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected as the first black president of South Africa, marking the end ...
08/10/2026

📜 Session of the Week:

In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected as the first black president of South Africa, marking the end of apartheid.

In this lesson, students will examine original documents such as telegrams, diplomatic correspondence and newspaper cuttings to undertake their own historical enquiry into the anti-apartheid struggle.

Book a place for your class on this free workshop now:

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/education-sessions/apartheid-fight-for-freedom/

Image: Eli Weinberg, ANC Archives © African Pictures Image Number: APN753315

🌹 One of our most popular workshops returns in November:Join us for All Pals Together and hear from a real actor as he p...
07/10/2026

🌹 One of our most popular workshops returns in November:

Join us for All Pals Together and hear from a real actor as he plays the part of Private Henry Fairhurst, and answers your students' questions as he describes life on the front line.

This is an hour long workshop which takes place online from your classroom. There are currently still spaces but it will sell out!

Book now for your class: https://tinyurl.com/ycy584vc
Book now for your homeschool students: https://tinyurl.com/3fzjmryn

In the UK, Black History Month takes place in October.Starting in 1987, Black History Month celebrates the lives, cultur...
05/10/2026

In the UK, Black History Month takes place in October.

Starting in 1987, Black History Month celebrates the lives, culture and contributions of Black people in the UK throughout history.

Explore the lives of Black people in Victorian Britain with original archival material by booking our session for your class online or onsite at The National Archives in Kew:

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/education-sessions/black-victorians/

Image ref: COPY1/417/500

📜 Session of the week: Explore the Suez Crisis of 1956, an event that changed the way Britain viewed its place in the wo...
01/10/2026

📜 Session of the week:

Explore the Suez Crisis of 1956, an event that changed the way Britain viewed its place in the world.

Students will handle and analyse original documents, from Foreign Office files to cabinet papers and telegrams, gaining unique insights into the events and consequences of this pivotal moment in British postwar history.

Book a place for your class on this free workshop now:

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/education-sessions/suez-crisis-1956/

Image ref: CO 956/690

On this day, 30 September 1951: The Festival of Britain officially ended with a closing ceremony at the South Bank in Lo...
30/09/2026

On this day, 30 September 1951: The Festival of Britain officially ended with a closing ceremony at the South Bank in London.

Intended to raise Britain’s spirits after the war and showcase British achievements in the arts, architecture, science and technology, the Festival of Britain opened on 3rd May 1951.

Learn more about Britain in the 1950s with our free online resources:
https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/platinum-jubilee/life-in-1950s-britain/

And explore The Festival of Britain records, which are held by The National Archives:
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/explore-by-time-period/postwar/the-festival-of-britain-1951/

Image ref: WORK 25/73-B3-B10

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The National Archives, Kew
Richmond
TW94DU

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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