Archaeology has the potential to engage and positively impact local communities: recognition of this has led to the introduction of a wider range of archaeological periods into the Key Stage 2 curriculum. However, many primary level teachers feel under equipped to teach these subjects, as current resources are limited. In the 2017/18 academic year, this team was fortunate enough to secure a Social Responsibility and Cultural Engagement grant to produce a suite of resources to help any Key Stage 2 teacher to produce teaching which was accurate, detailed, exciting, engaging and based on current archaeological knowledge. In this last academic year, a total of 80 packs have been produced, funded by SALC Widening Participation, and these have started to be delivered to local primary schools, in the hands of our own student ambassadors.

To continue this project, and to extent the scope and range, the team has taken advantage of the recent combination of the departments of Archaeology, and the department of Classics and Ancient History (to form the department of Classics, Ancient History Archaeology and Egyptology from September 2019) to produce Key Stage 2 resource packs for Roman Britain.  Working with members of ‘Manchester Classics for All’ within the department, a pack of resources has been designed, following the format of the exiting Prehistory resource packs. These include:

• A digestible guide for the teacher and pupil, written by experts from within the Department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology

• A four-page graphic novelette setting some of the key themes of the period into a narrative, produced by artist Tony Pickering, co-written with project members.

• A number of 3D printed artefacts from Roman Britain

• A set of classroom activities, designed to articulate with key themes identified within the period guide, the graphic novelette and the artefacts

• A PowerPoint covering the main themes of the booklets, novelettes and activities

In particular, the funds provided by the Cultural Engagement and Internationalisation grant (£350) have been used to produce the graphic novelette, which is one of the most costly elements of the resource pack.  The novelette has been completed, and will be combined with the booklets, activity sheets and 3D printed artefacts over the summer months, ready to be distributed to local primary schools in the 2019/20 academic year. The aim is to train a number of student ambassadors to lead in introductory session and deliver the resource packs (as has happened this year with the Prehistoric packs), so as to enhance student cultural engagement, as well as ensuring impact of our research at the University of Manchester.

Internal Partner(s):

Manchester Classics for All

Funding source(s):

Social Responsibility and Cultural Engagement grant, SALC Widening Participation, Cultural Engagement and Internationalisation grant

Project lead(s):

Dr Nick Overton, Dr. John Piprani, Dr. Hannah Cobb and Dr. Elizabeth Healey (Department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology)

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