Castle in the Classroom

Whether you’re in school or teaching remotely, we can help. Our new 360 digital schools packages offer all the fun and learning of a visit to Colchester Castle without the travel and additional paperwork!

Bring Roman Colchester to life through engaging videos, a variety of activity ideas and even boxes of replica and real artefacts. We’ll even include a teacher pack to help get you started. 

Explore Colchester Castle

Our Virtual Tour

This resource is designed to be used at your own pace. You can complete the entire tour in one day or break it up over the two weeks, allowing time to do some of the suggested activities or handle the objects in the box.

Packages

Castle in the Classroom

Our complete package is £7 per child and includes:

  • Access to our virtual tour for 2 weeks
  • An object box 2 weeks
  • A resource pack
  • One goody bag per child, including a voucher for one free child admission to Colchester Castle with a paying adult

Digital Classroom

For those teaching remotely, we have a digital-only package for £80 per class, which includes:

  • Access to our virtual tour for 2 weeks
  • A resource pack
  • Exclusive offers and discounts for visits to Colchester Castle

Using the Tour

Our film takes you on a tour of Colchester Castle vaults, originally the foundation of the Temple of Claudius built almost 2000 years ago.

Your tour guide, Steve, will explain some of the history of Roman Colchester in a series of videos. There are static images that can be explored in 360 degrees by clicking on the arrows, as well as objects in each room to select. These offer more information or suggest activities for the classroom.

 

Using the Objects

The accompanying loans box is designed to enrich the experience of the 360 tour and support classroom activities. It contains a number of genuine and reproduction Roman items including coins, hair pins and writing tablets.

All items included in the loans box are in secure wipeable boxes.

 

Goody Bags

When you book the complete Castle in the Classroom package, each child will be provided with a goody bag containing:

  • A reproduction Roman Coin
  • 2 Roman/Celtic Postcards to colour in
  • Emperor Claudius coin pack or small Roman figure
  • Colouring pencils
  • A writing pencil decorated with a Latin phrase
  • A voucher for one free child admission to Colchester Castle with a paying adult

 

Share Your Thoughts

Schools are incredibly important to us and we’re always looking for ways to improve. If you use one of our remote packages, we’d love to know how it went and what your class thought. Your honest feedback is invaluable and helps us better support children’s learning.

Click here to take our short survey

 

Booking Information

The Castle in the Classroom package costs £7 per child, which includes one gift each.

The Digital Classroom package costs £80 per class.

The object boxes are available for collection from 40 Heckworth Close on Mondays and should be returned on Fridays between 3 – 5pm. We are happy for schools to arrange a courier. 

We have two box sizes available, which come with the same contents:

  • Small – 50 x 30 x 8cm
  • Large – 55 x 35 x 30cm

You will receive a password for accessing our virtual Colchester Castle once your booking is confirmed. It will be valid from 9am on the Monday of your booking fortnight and provide unlimited access to the tour for 14 days.

We know teachers are working really hard right now and hopefully our choice of packages will make life just a little bit easier. If you have any questions or comments about Castle in the Classroom, we would really love to hear them.

 

What's On

Events

Discover something new in Colchester. Browse the diary to find fun, family-friendly events all year round.

Exhibitions + Displays

Our displays showcase the variety of the collections from art to archaeology, costume to clocks.

 

Where will your adventure start?