Primary Schools

To book or find out more about any of these activities, please email civilwarlearning@nsdc.info.

You can find our Primary Schools Learning brochure here: National Civil War Centre Primary School Learning Brochure (PDF File, 10,248kb)

Visit

Bring your class to visit the National Civil War Centre for £7 per child. Your day is fully facilitated by our Learning and Participation Team.

Your visit includes a dramatic introduction to the Civil War, a gallery session in the museum and your choice of workshops. Each session takes about an hour. We can also timetable a visit to the shop and to the temporary galleries.

Sessions	Timing	Price per pupil
Gallery + 1 workshop	2 hours	£4.50
Introduction, Gallery + 2 workshops	full day, approx. 10:15-14:15	£7.00

Workshop Choices

Session Title	Session Content	Session length
KS1 - One Man and his Dog	‌ An active session using puppets and storytelling to bring to life the Civil War hero Prince Rupert and his magical pet dog Boye. Learn who the Roundheads and Cavaliers were and why they were fighting each other. Pupils get the chance to handle real and replica objects from the Civil War and discover how Prince Rupert saved Newark from the Roundheads.	45 min
KS1 - Arms & Armour	Help the King defend Newark. Take part in army training in our interactive and object focused session. Learn about the different types of soldiers who fought in the Civil War and get the chance to examine the arms and armour they used.	1 hour

Session Title	Session Content	Session Length
KS2 - Last Town Standing Tour	Meet John Twentyman or his wife Jane and find out what life was really like in Newark during the Civil War. This character led tour introduces pupils to Newark’s surviving Civil War buildings and the important stories that they tell us about Newark’s role in the war. Discover why Newark was so strategically important locally and nationally, the significant events that happened and the key people who visited Newark in this fun participatory tour. (Please note this tour takes place outside so appropriate footwear and clothing should be worn	1 hour
KS2 - Arms & Armour	Become a New Model Army recruit and take part in army training in our interactive and object focused session. Learn about the different types of soldiers who fought in the Civil War and get the chance to examine the arms and armour they used. Pupils use their critical thinking to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the weapons and armour available to soldiers at the time and discover the realities of being in the army.	1 hour
KS2 - Besieged	Join the townspeople of Newark during the third and final siege of Newark. Pupils will take on the roles of real people living in Newark during the Civil war and discover the harsh realities of being under siege. Learn what it was like living through a siege and the difficult choices people had to make. Pupils will work in groups to make decisions for their character. Will they decide to just save themselves or will they help each other?	1 hour
KS2 - Civil War Spies	Become spies for the King and help crack the code to decide which East Midlands town should become his Key to the North. This hands-on session introduces pupils to civil war spying techniques and the strategy needed to win the civil war. Pupils will compare the strengths and weaknesses of the cities and towns of the East Midlands and decide which one they would make their Key to the North. Will they make the same decision as the King and choose Newark?	1 hour

For Newark schools, if you are unable to visit the museum, why not consider an outdoor activity? Book ‘Last Town Standing’ on its own for £60 per group.

"I visited the Civil War Centre with my class and was so impressed with the day. Denise, who lead our day, was so brilliant with the children and kept everything fast paced and interesting. We have a few children who are SEND and Denise picked up on this quickly and found ways to adapt things for them and make sure they felt valued and included with their peers. My class is large and full of big personalities, so to be able to go on a trip and not feel like I had to be on behaviour management mode all day was a testament to your staff and the organisation behind the trip – I enjoyed the day just as much as the children!"

Dunham-on-Trent Primary School

Learn online

If you can’t make it to the museum, try our digital sessions.

An Introduction to the Civil War - FREE Resource

A complete 1 hour lesson, with pause-and-play video: Adapting our most sought-after in-person session, An Introduction to the Civil War offers a fantastic, action-packed summary of the events leading up to this hugely significant conflict, its causes and results. All put together with primary school children in mind, this expertly filmed video is a great interactive learning experience and a full lesson which asks children to physically engage with the content as well as offering breaks to discuss questions posed. The session is presented by two engaging in-costume actors who portray a variety of key characters from the period including King Charles I himself.

Make your own costumes for this lesson from the Civil WARdrobe.

Besieged

1 hour facilitated session with classroom resources: A digital version of one of our most popular sessions. Join the townspeople of Newark during the third and final siege of Newark. Pupils will take on the roles of real people living in Newark during the Civil War. Discover the harsh realities of life under siege and the difficult choices people had to make. Pupils will work in groups to make decisions for their character. Will they decide just to save themselves or will they help each other? The session includes preparatory activities, a PowerPoint lesson with film and animation, and a facilitator to lead the session through your choice of digital learning platform.

Meet Captain Munstanley

1 hour livestreamed session: Using your choice of digital learning platform, beam Captain Munstanley into your classroom. He will talk you through some of the weapons and armour used by Civil War soldiers and tell some of his favourite stories, with active participation from your pupils. Prepare questions in advance and grill him about the British Civil Wars and life in the 17th century.