School Visits
Education and school engagement has always been an important part of the Trust’s work. Since our first schools outreach project in 2009, we have both visited and been visited by countless school children eager to discover the story of the Jacobites and redcoats at Prestonpans.
School sessions at our Museum
Book a workshop visit to the Battle of Prestonpans Museum!
Your pupils will be met by our expert costumed guide and led on a tour of the gallery exploring the background causes of the battle, our sources of evidence for what happened, and the landscape and landmarks of the battlefield.
After a short break, a sit-down session examines the clothing and equipment used by the soldiers, including a chance to discover what weapons they carried and how they worked on the battlefield.
Whilst there is some flexibility, the museum visit generally lasts 2 hours.
Classes for both the museum and the tour are up to a maximum of 34 pupils.
Cost: £50 per session
To book a visit, please contact: museum@battleofprestonpans1745.org
In addition, we can offer a costumed battlefield tour.
This lasts approximately 2hrs and includes most of the key landmarks and locations – including Tranent kirkyard and the battlefield Memorial Tables. The tour begins at Meadowmill Sports Centre carpark.
Battlefield walk: £50
Combined battlefield tour AND museum workshop (full day): £70 per class
Please note: if thinking of a combined battlefield and museum visit, you may need to consider transport between the two sites.
To book a visit, please contact: museum@battleofprestonpans1745.org
Classroom Ideas & Resources
If you want to start by exploring the history, here is a great starter guide aimed at young readers:
A wealth of creativity has flowed from the Battle of Prestonpans ever since the day it was fought. We have collected some of the songs and poems which mention the battle, along with few short selections from important 19th century historical novels. You can download the whole collection as one .pdf here for free. It includes some interesting illustrations too! It should be really useful for teachers, and a great starting point for thinking about what you might create yourself.
For some inspiring video content, have a look at our YouTube channel.
And for teachers or parents thinking about possible classroom activities, have a look at these ideas:
Special School/Group Projects
We are always eager to engage with both primary and secondary schools, or other community groups or hobby organisations. This could be as simple as a targeted battlefield tour, focusing on particular themes or skills development, or a more comprehensive project. For example, computing students at Edinburgh College were involved in the development of this website as part of their skills development. Preston Lodge high school pupils have explored the battle’s important for a video project. Air cadets from North Berwick regularly support our re-enactments by undertaking setup and stewarding duties.
If you are a class/group leader and would like to explore a partnership project, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.