Download new Primary Programme leaflet (211KB pdf)

NEW FOR 2008!

What Can We Learn From Visiting a Church?
This new trail is ideal for KS1 pupils following the QCA scheme of work or for those studying "Special Places".

Tudor Themed Day
Friday 26th September 2008. Four activities including dance and a costumed re-enactment of the closure of the priory of St Mary Overie. Just £4.80 per pupil (minimum charge £100 per class).
 

Workshops

Workshops are practical activities carried out in the Education Centre, which are designed to complement the trails and to give the children the opportunity to make something which they can take home with them.

The children generally work as a whole class and the work lasts for approximately 75 minutes. There is no need to bring notepaper or pencils as all equipment is provided!

Workshops we offer include:

Sketching in the Cathedral
An opportunity for pupils at all levels to look at and discuss artists' impressions of the inside of this ancient building, and make their own drawings.

Clay Tile Making
Often taken in conjunction with the Five Senses or Signs & Symbols trails. This workshop encourages children to recreate, on a clay tile, the symbols seen during their trail.

Roman Mosaic Making
Children discover how mosaic flooring is made and have the opportunity to create their own mosaic tile. This task encourages the children to work co-operatively and understand how their own tile is important to the overall work.

Illuminated Manuscript
How were books produced in the days before the printing press? How did people write with feathers? 
Children have the opportunity to write with quill pens and prepare their own quarto and octavo books. They also have the opportunity to produce their own piece of illuminated manuscript.

Stained Glass
What is the difference between ordinary glass and 'stained glass'? How is it made? How is it used in Southwark Cathedral?
This workshop involves a study of the windows in the Cathedral looking at abstract windows as well as more traditional styles. The children then have the opportunity to complete their own picture window to take home.

Looking at Victorian Objects
An activity to complement the Victorian Classroom sessions in which children study replica artefacts.

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Trails

Trails are themed tours which take place in the Cathedral. Children are involved by the use of questioning, role play and costume. The trails last for approximately 75 minutes and generally relate to events in the Cathedral's rich history.

The trails we offer are:

Songs and Stories (KS1)
A simple introduction to the Cathedral for the youngest pupils.

Materials Trail (KS1)
Children spend time in the Cathedral examining materials used in its structure.

The Five Senses (RE KS1)
Using the senses, the children explore the Cathedral as a special place, looking at the people and objects which add up to make Southwark Cathedral.

Religion in Roman Britain (History KS2)
Role play looking at the religion of Ancient Rome, the Celts, cults in Roman Britain and the arrival of Christianity.

Monastic Life and the Reformation (History KS2)
An introduction to the life and work of the 16th Century Priory of St. Mary Overie and the effect of the Dissolution on the canons who lived here.
Follow this trail

Victorian Classroom (History KS2)
What was it like to attend school in Southwark in the 19th Century?
This trail enables children to gain an insight into life both at home and at school in 19th Century Southwark.
Follow this trail

Signs & Symbols (RE KS2)
A general introduction to the significance of a church and the importance of its contents as signs of the Christian faith.

Pilgrimage (RE KS2)
Geoffrey Chaucer guides a group of pilgrims from the Middle Ages and compares this to Christian Pilgrimage today.
Follow this trail

Faith in the Twenty-first Century (English, RE)
This trail focuses on the stories buildings can tell us and affords young people the opportunity to discuss some of life’s important issues. e.g. should people’s beliefs influence the way they live? Why does music have such an effect on us?

How Faith is Expressed Through the Arts (RE KS2)
Supports the QCA Scheme of Work for RE. Suitable for KS2.

Shapes in the Cathedral (KS1)
An opportunity for children from year 1 and 2 to explore the cathedral looking for shapes in the windows, floor, furnishings etc.

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Geography & Science Investigations

What is Southwark Cathedral made of? How does it affect its environment? How does the environment affect it?
Children use observational skills to perform map work and assess how the Cathedral has changed over the centuries. They then undertake surveys of the Cathedral surroundings today considering how it might change further and how we can prevent negative change. There is the chance to look at building materials and perform experiments to see how those materials would react to adverse weather conditions. The skills used on the day could then be taken back to school and applied to the school environment.

What effect does a bus have on the Cathedral?
Through surveys and experiments, pupils can analyse the evidence and draw their own conclusions about how people can improve or damage the environment.

Themed days

Perhaps you would like to continue an historical theme throughout your day's work? The Cathedral Education Centre has links with two other local sites.

The Tudor Experience is run in conjunction with the Golden Hinde, and a Day in Victorian Southwark is a joint day with The Old Operating Theatre. These visits have proved to be popular and provide children with a broader focus into an historic period.

Other Activities
If you are visiting another local site we are happy to create a trail which will complement your visit whether it is a contrasting study of War and Peace, an historical theme or a comparison of places of worship.