Schools

At Gallery Oldham, we help schools enhance their teaching of Key Stage 1 and 2 Art, English, History and Science through in-person workshops, self-guided visits, loans boxes and digital sessions.

Gallery Oldham Schools Brochure 2022-2023 (PDF)

School visits to Gallery Oldham

We offer both artist and facilitator-led gallery workshops and self-guided visits.

WORKSHOPS

The following workshops are two hours long, cost £100 and can be booked on Mondays and Tuesdays in term time:

  • What Made Oldham the Biggest Cotton Spinning Town in the World? (KS2) – pupils learn about Oldham’s role in the Industrial Revolution through museum artefacts, original film footage and local archival material.
  • Oldhamers at Work (KS2) – pupils explore our exhibitions to discover what jobs people did in Victorian Oldham then create an abstract industrial landscape or a pop-up millscape.
  • Oldhamers by the Seaside (KS1 & KS2) – pupils explore Oldham artist Helen Bradley’s painting, ‘A Summer Afternoon on the Sands at Blackpool’, to learn how Oldham people spent their Wakes Week holiday then create a seaside inspired artwork.
  • Pattern & Print (KS1 & KS2) – pupils experiment with printmaking techniques to make their own masterpiece based on patterns from our building and exhibitions.
  • Ice & Fire Art Inspired Poetry (KS2) – guided by a creative writing facilitator, pupils explore three pieces of art by Oldham artists which depict Ice and Fire then write and perform poetry inspired by the artwork.
  • Observing & Classifying Animals (KS1) – using our natural history handling collection, pupils learn to observe, identify and classify animals.
  • Classification, Adaptation & Food Chains (KS2) – pupils classify animals using observable features, discover how animals are adapted to their habitats and learn about food chains.

Our school workshops have sensory elements to them and can be adapted to suit any group.  Find out more about Oldham’s SEND Local Offer.

Excellent organisation. Very welcoming and friendly. Activities appropriate for the age group; an interesting session delivered in an interesting hands-on way – everyone was engaged and enjoyed their learning. Thanks for the resources for the self-guided tour, they were very useful and kept the children on task with their learning.
Year 4 teacher and SENDco, Thorp Primary School

SELF-GUIDED VISITS

We welcome self-guided visits to Gallery Oldham. These are free but booking is essential.

Your pupils can complete our Oldham Stories Trail in our permanent exhibition in Gallery 1:

We also have a wonderful collection of natural objects and sensory materials available for child-led play. This collection is a result of our project with Kingfisher Special School. Find out more through our blog.

If you would like to book a space for your pupils to explore these resources self-guided, please email librariesandgalleryschools@oldham.gov.uk.

BOOK A GALLERY VISIT

To book either a workshop or self-guided visit, please complete our booking form on Oldham Council’s website.

If you would like to enquire about a visit, please email librariesandgalleryschools@oldham.gov.uk or call 0161 770 4643.

Please do not arrange transport until you have received an email confirming your booking.

Head to our Pre-visit information page for everything you need to know in advance of your visit. 

THE OLDHAM PLEDGE

A visit to us can help fulfil;

Pledge 2 – To attend regular activities beyond your place of learning.
Pledge 9 – To attend sporting and creative events.
Pledge 11 – To be involved in a cultural or international experience.

Visit The Oldham Pledge website for more information.

Oldham Pledge Passport (Word)

You can share your visit with us via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

#galleryoldham @galleryoldham

School outreach resources & workshops

LOANS BOXES

We also offer National Curriculum focused, COVID-secure schools loans boxes to explore independently and enhance in-school teaching over a 10-day loan (£50). All boxes contain real or replica artefacts, images, and information linked to Gallery Oldham’s collection and, where relevant, Oldham itself. As part of your booking you will also receive via email a link to a topic video on our YouTube page. Follow a step-by-step guide to doing a creative activity with your class!

  • Prehistoric Oldham
  • The Egyptians
  • Roman Oldham
  • The Anglo-Saxons & Vikings
  • Oldham Remembers (WW1 & WW2)
  • Rocks & Fossils
  • Plants
  • Life Cycles & Food Chains
  • Faiths

LIVE DIGITAL SESSIONS PLUS LOANS BOXES

We offer three 1 hour facilitator-led live digital sessions straight to your classroom. Each session is accompanied by a loans box on a 10-day loan to explore before, during and after the workshop (£100 for max. 35 pupils).

  • Oldhamers at Work – pupils learn about cotton mills, other industries and jobs in Victorian Oldham before making a pop-up millscape
  • Oldhamers by the Seaside – pupils discover how Oldhamers spent their Wakes Week holiday in Victorian times before making a pop-up seaside artwork
  • Art Inspired Poetry – pupils learn about Victorian artist William Stott of Oldham and use his painting, ‘The White Mountain’, to create a poem

BOOK A LOANS BOX, OR A LOANS BOX & LIVE DIGITAL SESSION

To book a loans box, please complete our booking form on Oldham Council’s website. You will then receive an email confirming your booking.

If you would like to enquire about our loans boxes or book a live digital session, please email librariesandgalleryschools@oldham.gov.uk or call 0161 770 4643.

Please note: our school loans boxes are H105, W50, D50cm.

Head to our Pre-loans box & live digital session page for everything you need to know in advance of your loan and/or live digital session. 

GO BLOOM 

Follow this step-by-step film to learn how to make colourful flowers from recycled plastic with artist Ruth Moilliet!

GO Bloom is part of The Wild Escape which is made possible by lead support from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants, with additional support from Art Fund.

SCHOOL POWERPOINT RESOURCES

You can also use our FREE cross-curricular Schools PowerPoints for educational activities inspired by artworks and artefacts from our collections (free to download).

NEW: Artist in Focus
Join us in celebrating artists, their artworks and their achievements with our new Artist in Focus series! Each PowerPoint is dedicated to an artist whose work features in our collection.
Lubaina Himid (PPT)

Famous Artists (PPT)
Women Artists (PPT)
Volcanoes (PPT)
Animals (PPT)
Oldham Goes to War (PPT)

Have a closer look at the Famous Artists and Women Artists artworks in our digital exhibitions on Art UK.

Don’t forget to share what you do by visiting our social media channels @galleryoldham #galleryoldham