History Academics Working with Schools: Insights from the UK

Abstract

This Forum piece highlights the value of collaborations between history academics and schools. It is based on recent work within History UK, an organization that promotes the interests of historians working within UK higher education, and it also highlights recent work within the Historical Association (HA). As school–university collaborations offer multiple opportunities, the article brings together different perspectives, including two case studies. The first case study summarizes experiences from an HA Teacher Fellowship that formed part of a wider project on ‘The People of 1381’, with school-focused activities complementing other forms of public engagement. The second case study discusses how research and university-based teaching on ‘Objects of Empire’ generated school sessions aimed at Year 8 students. Following on from these two specific examples, the Forum piece presents insights into how different forms of schools-related activities developed public impact, as defined by, and captured in, the UK's Research Excellence Framework (REF).