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About
Time Odyssey has been created in partnership by Art Explora and the British Museum to break down the economic, geographic and cultural barriers that prevent many children from visiting their local museums.
The programme uses pioneering technology to engage school children with museum collections in a completely new way and offers free transport grants to ensure all schools can participate.
Our Aims
- Increase access for school children to UK national museums
- Reach underserved communities and regions by prioritising schools that have not visited the museum before
- Remove the cost barrier that prevents many schools from making school trips
- Build awareness of our rich national collections and heritage and encourage repeat visits
- Test new forms of digital technology for engaging children with collections and enriching formal learning
Why we are doing this ?
A new survey of primary school teachers, commissioned by Art Explora in March 2025, showed that:
- Over 90% of teachers agree that every child should visit a museum on a school trip before leaving primary school.
- However over 60% of teachers say they had not taken their class to a museum on a school trip in the last 12 months. 14% of teachers say they’ve never taken a class to a museum on a school trip.
- There is a greater disparity of access for children from lower socio-economic backgrounds outside London. More than half of the teachers surveyed said that cost is the main barrier. This barrier increases for schools outside London with children from lower socio-economic backgrounds
School trips to museums are recognised, and fondly remembered, as a cherished part of school life. They offer an important real-world experience that can enhance academic, social and personal development. However recent research has shown that the number of school trips have decreased across the UK, as school budgets go down and everyday costs go up, and in the context of a decline in creative education.
Time Odyssey addresses this inequity by offering a completely free experience – both the museum visit and the transport costs are covered through the programme. Art Explora works closely with partner museums to target children at schools with a high percentage of free school meals, as well as schools in rural areas – both identified as schools that typically do not take children on school trips. Time Odyssey has been designed to appeal to 7-11year olds by introducing familiar tools such as apps and tablets, as well as gaming techniques and impressive AR technology, to engage and learn through the power of play.
In 2024, the programme was piloted at five museums across the UK: The Yorkshire Museum, York; The Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter; The Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne; Manchester Museum; and South Shields Museum & Art Gallery. During the period, Time Odyssey engaged over 5,000 children, with schools travelling up to 65 miles (1 hr 40 min) each way to take part. Of the 4,500 students who attended, 60% had not visited a museum in the past 12 months.
Read more, The Guardian.
Report commissioned by the Clore Duffield Foundation
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Who is behind this ?
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