Research highlights challenges of attracting schools to museums

More than 60% of teachers have not taken their class to a museum on a school trip in the past 12 months, according to research commissioned by the Art Explora foundation.

The research, which also found that 14% of teachers have never taken a class to a museum, is part of a campaign called Time Odyssey created by Art Explora and the British Museum to support museum visits for primary school children.

The programme covers the cost of both the experience and getting to the venue, with teachers saying that transport costs are a major barriers to visiting museums. The scheme, which offers a digital interactive experience to introduce children to collections, is aimed at 7-11 year old schoolchildren.

The launch of Time Odyssey follows a pilot programme at five museums in 2024: Yorkshire Museum, York; Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter; Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne; Manchester Museum; and South Shields Museum & Art Gallery.

The programme will expand in 2025 with new partners including National Museums Liverpool; Danum Gallery, Library and Museum, Doncaster; and Tees Valley Museums.

Art Explora is working closely with the partner museums to target children at schools with a high percentage of free school meals, as well as schools in rural areas – both identified as schools that typically do not take children on school trips.

“The north-east is an area that is very beautiful and rich in history, but it also has some challenges, including high levels of child poverty,” said Keith Merrin, the director of North East Museums, which had two venues that took part in the pilot programme – the Great North Museum and South Shields Museum & Art Gallery.

“Children growing up in the region don’t always get what they need to be successful in the future, but we know that museums offer transformational experiences that improve educational attainment, raise aspirations and support wellbeing.”

Merrin said that bursaries to fund travel costs for schools was vital, as was offering a free experience at the museum itself.

Catherine McKinnell, the minister for school standards at the Department for Education and Labour MP for Newcastle Upon Tyne North, also spoke at the launch of Time Odyssey.

McKinnell recently met Nicholas Serota, Darren Henley and Anne Appelbaum from Arts Council England to discuss ways to break down barriers to make the arts more accessible for children and young people.

Art Explora was founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Frédéric Jousset in France in 2019 and expanded to the UK in 2021. He is a former board member of the Musée du Louvre and the Beaux-Arts de Paris.

“School trips offer enrichment that cannot be experienced in the classroom,” Jousset said. “This should be a fundamental right for young people, not an optional extra. Time Odyssey levels the playing field, making sure that all children have access to culture, no matter what their background.”