Activities for KS4 / GCSE (Ages 14 – 16)
A visit to Ripon Museums is an ideal learning experience that will enrich the experience of students studying GCSE History. All three museums offer relevant contextual knowledge for the Edexcel thematic study, Crime and Punishment.
Exploring the Prison & Police Museum will help students appreciate change and continuity within policing in Britain. Strong links between crime, law and order can be made with a visit to the Courthouse Museum, where students can see both the physical layout of a Georgian courthouse and appreciate the nature of crime and punishment at this time. Learn about the Sinkler brothers, two infamous Ripon poachers who found themselves on the wrong side of the law and facing transportation to Australia.
Lastly, the Workhouse Museum can offer insight into the causes of poverty, the state’s role in providing for the vulnerable and the development of Public Health. GCSE students studying Medicine or Health thematic units would find the Workhouse Museum a supportive and relevant site to visit.
Our museums can also offer atmosphere and contextual knowledge for GCSE English students, particularly studying 19th century texts, such as those by Dickens. We are able to tailor your visit to the book you are studying, and can provide a range of workshops and roleplays, or alternatively a more relaxed approach of tours and areas for independent study.
Book now for a truly unique experience for GCSE students: a thought-provoking insight into the broad themes of crime, punishment and social justice through the stories of Ripon and its citizens.
“A great visit that really helped bring the subject to life!”
York College
“All the staff and students agreed that it was a really great experience…We found the whole day to be much more exciting and interactive than we imagined.”
St Helen’s College
An outline of our KS4 activities is available below:
Visit all three sites – the Workhouse, Prison & Police and Courthouse Museums – as part of your trip.
At the Courthouse Museum:
- Students take part in Arrest of the Sinkler Brothers trial in the courtroom
At the Prison & Police Museum:
- Sinkler Brothers role-play and object handling
- Learn about early policing, poaching and transportation
- Doin’ Time – tour of the cells
At the Workhouse Museum
- Lunch – indoor space provided
- Victorian CSI – an enquiry-led investigation of a murder at the workhouse, using Victorian detection techniques
We can fine-tune your day to suit the book you are studying.
At the Courthouse Museum:
- Girl Artful Dodgers Trial 1853 – learn about the trial of teenage pickpockets
At the Prison & Police Museum:
- Sinkler Brothers poacher folk heroes role-play and object handling
- Tour of the cells
At the Workhouse Museum:
- Lunch – indoor space provided
- A stern introduction by Matron
- Guardians’ role-Play
- Hands-on laundry/chores session with Workhouse tour
At the Courthouse Museum:
- Students take part in a Tools of the Trade trial
At the Prison & Police Museum:
- Sinkler Brothers role-play
- Learn about early policing, poaching and transportation
- Tour of the cells
At the Workhouse Museum:
- Lunch – indoor space provided
- A stern introduction by Matron
- Guardians’ role-play
- Hands-on laundry/chores session with Workhouse tour
At the Workhouse Museum:
- A stern introduction by Matron
- Guardians’ role-play
- Workhouse tour
Lunch at the Workhouse – indoor space provided
then either
- Enquiry-led study based on Charles Husband, Workhouse Medical Officer (Workhouse) OR
- Students take part in historic trial (Courthouse)
