Historic Towns Initiative
An initiative to promote heritage-led regeneration and to improve the quality of our historic towns and villages for residents and tourists.
In January 2027, The Heritage Council will launch its new Heritage in Schools Post-Primary programme.
In January 2027, The Heritage Council will launch its new Heritage in Schools Post-Primary programme. This builds on our successful Heritage in Schools programme for primary schools, which has been running for over 25 years, and it delivers on the commitment in Our Place in Time: Heritage Council Strategic Plan 2023-2028 to expand the programme to second-level education.
Heritage in Schools Post-Primary will deliver part-funded school visits which serve the curriculum and are focused on aspects of our natural, built and cultural heritage. Visits will be available for post-primary students across both Junior and Senior Cycle, including Transition Year.
Programme Aims
- To generate a greater awareness of and appreciation for heritage in its various expressions in post-primary schools in Ireland;
- To offer opportunities for students and teachers to enhance their heritage-related subject knowledge by engaging with (a) heritage directly and (b) the expertise of heritage specialists;
- To encourage students and their teachers to engage with examples of their local, national, and world heritage (as appropriate to the curriculum and school context, and drawing on appropriate pedagogy, such as place-based, active, experiential and inquiry-based learning where feasible);
- To deliver post-primary school visits which align with heritage’s connections to the post-primary curriculum, including those connections represented by the Heritage in Education Charter;
- To establish and maintain a community of practice of heritage specialists and educators who visit post-primary schools and share their learning and experiences with one another.
Subject areas and heritage specialisms
Our panel of heritage specialists have a broad range of expertise across natural, built and cultural heritage. This heritage has a myriad of connections to a wide range of curricular subject areas across both Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle, including Transition Year. Aspects of heritage on offer include:
- Local & national history
- Family history & genealogy
- Oral & literary traditions
- Archaeology, artefacts, art & material culture
- Biodiversity & ecology
- Geology & local geography
- Traditional crafts & skills
How to book a visit
Heritage in Schools Post-Primary will launch for bookings in January 2027. Interested teachers can browse our panel of heritage specialists online, make contact with their preferred specialist to discuss a visit, and then submit a short booking form using our online portal. Once the chosen heritage specialist and The Heritage Council accept and approve the booking, the teacher will receive a booking confirmation.
For more information, visit www.heritageinschools.ie from January 2027.
Visit types and costs
Three different visit lengths are on offer for schools, with a view to aligning with the post-primary timetable:
- Full day visit (typically 5hrs+)
- Half day visit (typically 3-4hrs)
- Short session (typically 1-2hrs)
Heritage in Schools Post-Primary visits are part-funded by The Heritage Council, keeping visit fees affordable for schools. Lower rates also apply for DEIS schools. For a full breakdown of the cost of visits, see below:
Feedback from pilot testing
Across 2024 and 2025, The Heritage Council ran pilots testing Heritage in Schools’ applicability and suitability for Transition Year groups, and then for all other post-primary year groups. A small sample of the feedback received from participating teachers is below:
- “The students were highly engaged... and thoroughly enjoyed the day.”
- “They liked the mix of classroom and outdoor activities. Students learned a lot and were impressed at how knowledgeable [the specialist] is!”
- “Very positive. Made the topic ‘real’ as opposed to just something from a textbook that happened 100 years ago!”
- “It definitely got them to see their local heritage in a new light & to value it much more deeply. They are able to articulate their findings.”
- 98% of teachers who provided feedback were either extremely or very satisfied with the heritage specialists’ subject knowledge
- 93% of teachers who provided feedback were either extremely or very satisfied that their students benefited from the visit
