Cromford Mills – Educational Visits for Schools

Key Stage One Visits

1. Who Was Sir Richard Arkwright?

Who was this famous man, what did he do in Cromford and how did he change the world?

Led by an expert guide, enjoy a fully led and resourced exploration of Cromford Mills and Cromford Village. This enquiry-based day will allow your class to use a variety of source material, including paintings, text, artefacts and a CGI audio visual experience that brings Richard Arkwright to life, to build up a picture of this important man from history and find out how he became known as the ‘Father of the Factory System’.

Suitable for: up to 1 class
Time: 4.5 hours
Structure: Fully led
Price: £6 per child

2. Cromford Canvas: Print, Make, Create

Immerse yourself in creating pieces of artwork inspired by Cromford Mills – a fully planned day with one led workshop and two self-led activities.

Cromford Mills sits within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Your class will explore and learn about this special site with its huge mill buildings and wonderful wildlife; they will be taught different printing techniques to create a piece of class art inspired by Paul Klee. The self-led activities will allow the class to use ‘shape’ as a starting point to make individual sketches in the style of LS Lowry before thinking about sculpture and creating amazing artwork inspired by the site and Andy Goldsworthy.

Suitable for: 1 class of KS1 pupils
Time: 4.5 hours
Structure: Part led, part self-led
Price: £4 per child, or £4.50 if they want to visit the Arkwright Experience

Key Stage Two Visits

1. Children of the Mills

‘Children of the Mills’ is our award-winning interactive costumed role-play day in which children are immersed in the role of new workers at the 18th Century mills. Focus:

• The lives of workers and the impact of the mills
• The Industrial Revolution
• Water Power

Duration: minimum of 4 hours
Suitable for: one class of up to 36 children. The offer is targeted at KS2 classes, however we can adapt content as required.
Structure: fully led
Price: £6 per child

2. Ask the Mill Workers

Ask the Mill Workers is our online offer for schools who cannot come to visit us physically.  It is also available to book as pre and post visit activities to complement an onsite visit.

Transport yourself back to 1797 with our loan box and online Q&A session! Have a go at weaving, carding and signing your indenture, then ask your questions to Mrs Froggot or Mrs Henstock, to find out what life was really like working in the mills.

Price: £30, for a maximum of 2 classes
Timings: 2 weeks’ use of loan box, 1 hour online Q&A session at a time to suit you.

3. Wonderful Waterwheels

Learn how one man and the power of water changed the world, before completing an engineering challenge of your own!

Led by an expert guide, enjoy a fully resourced, practical, enquiry-based STEM day of learning. Your pupils will use a variety of historical sources and investigate both Cromford Mills and Cromford Village to understand how Richard Arkwright harnessed waterpower on a large scale for the first time at Cromford.

Pupils will use their learning to work in groups on a ‘design and make’ challenge. This will involve building a waterwheel housing, creating water channels and ensuring the waterwheel can transfer power and movement.

Suitable for: 1 class of KS2 pupils
Time: 4.5 hours
Structure: fully led
Price: £6 per child

4. Words Thread Through Time

Have fun using and learning about different genres in response to Cromford Mills – a fully planned day with one led workshop and two self-led activities.

Through exploration of this amazing site and the use of novel extracts written about the mills your class will be taught different drama techniques to respond to the site through role play and creating dialogue. During the self-led activities, they will write a piece of poetry inspired by the site and create a non-fiction fact file booklet based on their observations.

Suitable for: 1 class of KS2 pupils
Time: 4.5 hours
Structure: part-led
Price: £4 per child, or £4.50 if they want to visit the Arkwright Experience

5. Cromford Geographers

From maps to compasses, village tours and field sketches this is a fully planned day with one led workshop and two self-led activities.

We will teach your class how to use a compass before they head off around the site to complete and orienteering challenge. Through the self-led activities, they will have a go at creating a field sketch and a sketch map as well as having the opportunity to explore Cromford Village to learn about how this special place has changed over time.

Suitable for: 1 class of KS2 pupils
Time: 4.5 hours
Structure: part led
Price: £4 per child, £4.50 per child with Arkwright Experience

6. Cromford – The Director’s Cut

Come and develop your computing, filming and presenting skills. With one led workshop and self-led activities you’ll soon be directing and starring in your own Cromford-inspired film.

Bring your digital cameras or tablets and we’ll set you up to make your own Cromford-inspired film. You can choose to make either a short factual documentary or a short drama about children of the mills. We’ll provide suggestions, characters, cues and props and you can use the mills and surroundings as your film set! Your pupils will take on different roles – filming, presenting, acting, directing and scripting and you can take your footage back to school to edit and present.

Suitable for: 1 class of KS2 pupils
Time: 4.5 hours
Structure: part led
Price: £4 per child

Site Visits for KS3, KS4 and Sixth Form

Mill and Village Tour

We can tailor our tours to the specific needs of your group, to fit your topic or exam specification. Please contact info@arkwrightsociety.org.uk to discuss your options.

Focus options:

• The Industrial Revolution
• The local and national impact of the mills
• The development of the site
• Cotton spinning processes and history
• Richard Arkwright – good or bad?

Duration: 1-4 hours depending on your programme
Suitable for: KS3, KS4 and Sixth form. We can currently take groups of up to 65 per day.
Structure: Fully led. There are also options for self-led elements.
Price: £6 per pupil for full day. £4 per pupil for half day

 

‘Cromford Mills have developed a schools resource of high quality using methodology which acts as a model for all. The attention to detail, quality and best practice, which pervades the learning experience is admirable’.

– From Sandford Award judge’s citation