At Middlesbrough Museums we offer a range of learning options and experiences for all ages and levels. From ancient Egyptians to Captain Cook we ensure accessible learning that’s curriculum relevant and interactive.

Start your learning journey with us today, choose from loan boxes, workshops, and arts awards there are many ways to get involved.

Unlock creativity with our full-day workshops, now featuring an Arts Award Discover or Explore add-on!

Some of our workshops can be offered as a full day visit with the add-on of an Arts Award Discover or Arts Award Explore.

Arts Award is a nationally recognised qualification certified by Trinity College London that boosts students’ mastery of art skills, helps them learn about local, national, and international artists and believe in their skills as a creative.

Dorman Museum’s Learning team are qualified Arts Award assessors and will deliver the learning and assessment of student portfolios.

Arts Award is also an excellent avenue for home educators to engage their children with art, history, and museum learning all the while earning a nationally recognised qualification. For more information please contact us.

Our schools loan boxes can be used to supplement your chosen topic of study with a hands-on, object-led experience inside your own classroom. Loan boxes contain a mixture of real and replica artefacts from the museum as well as ephemera, books, and costumes to bring your classroom learning to life.

Loan boxes are hired over a half-term period and must be collected from and returned to the Dorman Museum.

If you require a more detailed list of loan box contents, please contact us.

Explore our galleries and book supplementary materials to move at your own pace with a self-led visit for your school or home educated children.

Self-led visits can open up the exciting world of museums for our young people. Led at their own pace they can develop exploring skills, fact-finding and ignite their inquisitive nature. From fossils and Middlesbrough’s history to life in the Royal Navy during the 18th century, there’s so much to discover at the Dorman Museum and Captain Cook Birthplace Museum.

Self-led visits must be booked through the Learning Officer to maintain safe numbers within our galleries. Our Learning Team are keen to make your visit both entertaining and worthwhile and have developed the following bookable resources:

  • ‘Dorman Museum: Adventure in Time’ activity workbook. A full-colour 12-page activity book that chronicles the history of Middlesbrough and the Dorman Museum through puzzles, quizzes, riddles and drawing challenges inspired by our galleries.
  • Captain Cook Birthplace Museum’s Sensory Trolley: A wheel-along trolley designed for SEN children to engage with our galleries. Each gallery has a box with sensory materials and activity prompts for teachers and home educators to make the most of their visit.

Looking for somewhere to eat lunch during your self-led visit? Our Education Rooms at both Dorman Museum and Captain Cook Birthplace Museum are bookable for your visit. Please contact the Learning Officer for the most up to date cost of room hire.

Dorman Museum – Time Odyssey

The Dorman Museum is pleased to offer the Time Odyssey programme as part of its learning offer for schools.

The programme provides a fantastic opportunity for teachers to explore historical concepts and terminology with students, whilst also providing a fantastic cultural experience in a fun and engaging format.

It is a fully funded self-led visit to the museum for eligible schools. Please read eligibility criteria below.

What is Time Odyssey?

Time Odyssey is a blended learning adventure that is played on a tablet. Pupils work in small groups of 2 to 3 per tablet, primarily facilitated by teachers, with museum staff on hand to support.

At its centre is a dynamic, user-friendly app which encourages children to learn through play and storytelling. But it’s not all digital! Pupils are involved in choosing and analysing museum objects, as well as teamwork, creative activities, photography and discussion.

Students meet characters lost in time:

  • Revna, the Viking of the Sea
  • Cheng, a trainee scribe from Ancient China
  • Felix, a future Centurion from Roman Britain
  • Hori, a tomb painter from Ancient Egypt

Pupils choose a character, then take on a series of challenges to help them get home. How? By gathering enough energy from museum objects to open a time portal!

Funding criteria and capacity

For eligible schools, Time Odyssey is a fully funded self-led visit to a museum that offers transport grants (up to £500), museum staff support, and covers lunchroom hire for participating schools.

Who is eligible?

  • Schools who have not visited the Dorman Museum in the last school year
  • Schools with over 40% of students on free school meals
  • Schools who are unlikely to visit museums due to living rurally

Who can visit?

  • Year 5 or 6
  • Up to 60 pupils in one day, working in groups of 3
  • Schools are more likely to have their application accepted if they can fetch 2 classes in one day, this can be across two year groups if necessary. (Applications are subject to approval)

When?

  • Time Odyssey visits are on Fridays during term time
  • 10am to 2pm (full day visit)

Register your interest

To register your interest, please fill out the following form.

    School Visit Request Form









    Visits can only take place on Fridays.









    Eligible schools must have over 40% of students on free school meals.


    Accessing the transport grant

    After confirming a visit date with the museum, schools must then book their transport prior to filling out the Transport Grant Application Form.

    Schools to pay bus company and then send an invoice from the school, as well as proof of transport (receipt or invoice from the bus company) to Art Explora to claim their grant. You should be able to attach all of this documentation to the Transport Grant Application Form. Any issues please contact timeodyssey@artexplora.org.

    It takes 30 days to process payment after the visit has happened and been confirmed by museum staff with Time Odyssey.

    The school has 3 months after the trip date to claim back their transport cost.

    Please note: schools can use public transport if preferred but will need to retain itemised receipts to claim their transport costs back.