Education Today Education Today Magazine
What if one of the most powerful history resources for your pupils was just outside the classroom door?
Local streets, buildings, landscapes and stories can make history feel immediate and meaningful for children. They help pupils connect national events and historical themes with places they know, while opening up rich opportunities for enquiry, discussion and creativity.
Historic England’s free Heritage Schools webinar programme gives primary teachers practical support to embed local history and heritage into their curriculum.
Open for booking now, the 2026/27 programme offers more than 20 online webinars for KS1 and KS2 teachers. Each session is designed to be accessible, useful and classroom-focused, with ideas and resources that teachers can adapt for their own curriculum and local area.
The need for support is clear. Historic England’s latest Heritage Schools evaluation* found that 62% of teachers who attended training had not received any other history-specific professional development in the previous year. After taking part, 97% said they had developed skills they could use in their teaching.
Teachers who have taken part in Heritage Schools CPD have praised its practical, inspiring approach. As one teacher put it: “In twenty-four years of teaching, I have never been on any course that has inspired me as much or given me such a wealth of information and resources right on my doorstep.”
Running throughout the academic year, the webinars cover topics including local history enquiry, historic maps, remembrance, changing landscapes, the built environment and place-based learning. Whether teachers are planning a new local history study or refreshing their history curriculum, the programme offers practical CPD that can be put into use straight away.
The impact goes beyond subject knowledge. Evaluation evidence shows that teachers see local heritage as a powerful way to build pupils’ sense of place, pride in their local area and understanding of how their community connects to the wider story of England.
Free to attend and delivered online, the webinars are designed to fit around the school day and offer ideas teachers can use straight away.
Teachers can browse the full 2026/27 programme and book their free place now: bit.ly/hswebinars3
* The latest Heritage Schools evaluation was completed in March 2026 by DJS Research. You can find the full report here
