Manchester Museum has always been one of my favourite places on Oxford Road, even during my undergraduate studies in Graphic Design. Having the museum’s rich history right at my fingertips as a student is an incredibly fortunate experience, especially knowing that people travel from all over the world to visit and participate in its diverse cultural events.

In the first year of my part-time master’s course, I have chosen to take the placement module to gain hands-on experience in gallery and museum settings. My primary focus was to explore opportunities related to engagement, play, and communication—particularly for younger children—to inspire them to learn and connect with museum spaces. When I found out I had been accepted into the Manchester Museum’s Children’s Educational Learning Placement Programme, I was overjoyed. The competitive application process had been stressful, but the reward was well worth it.

Before beginning the placement, we were tasked with conducting research on the overall theme. This required visits to the university library, where I kept a daily log, took notes, and set goals for what I hoped to achieve over the academic year. On the first day of the placement, we had a comprehensive tour of the museum, learned about health and safety procedures, and enjoyed an in-depth exploration of the “Wild” exhibition led by one of the museum’s curators. In the afternoon, we had a “get to know each other” session with students from various courses who were also completing placements at the museum.

A Day in My Life at Manchester Museum

Our placement days start at 9:00 AM every Monday and Wednesday. One of my favourite parts of the morning is greeting the animals in the Vivarium, a simple but delightful way to begin the day. Following this, we head to the top floor to collaborate on our research. We discuss our goals for the day and how our findings will contribute to our final assignments.

One of the standout experiences of my placement has been the observation day. Watching the psychology behind how children interact with exhibits was fascinating. We gathered data and created graphs to analyse their engagement. Observing the different ways children connect with museum spaces provided valuable insights.

Later in the day, we follow school groups through the museum exhibitions. It’s heart-warming to see the lovely drawings and notes created by the children during their visits. After a lunch break at the museum café, where I’ve become a regular due to my volunteering role, we continue our observations. This includes shadowing school groups as they participate in paid workshops and taking notes in the Egypt and Sudan Gallery. Listening to children’s opinions about the artefacts and linking their responses back to key learning materials provided by our placement host, Amy, has been both insightful and rewarding.

Overall, I’m thoroughly enjoying my placement experience. It’s been a unique opportunity to combine academic research with practical engagement. I’m excited about what’s to come in 2025 and look forward to learning and contributing even more as the year unfolds.

Rachel Topping MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies student.

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