Image: Horniman Clock Tower
Lucy Maycock, the Horniman museum’s Formal Learning Manager, speaks to Advisor with an update on its project, as well as a look back at the Museums + Heritage Awards win.
A school programme which saw a 650% increase in secondary school learners was among the projects recognised at the most recent Museums + Heritage Awards.
In partnership with local schools and teachers, the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London co-developed a range of curriculum-linked workshops and targeted, tailored offers, responding to schools’ needs.
The museum’s Formal Learning team also introduced co-production projects in collaboration with student artists, outreach, object loans, and an expanded careers offer.
The team were presented with the Learning Programme of the Year Award at the Museums + Heritage Awards in 2024.
Lucy Maycock, the museum’s Formal Learning Manager spoke to Advisor late last year with an update on the project, as well as a look back at the museum’s win.
The award, decided on by a panel sector judges, said the programme, “which is user-led, has had transformative results with impressive engagement and all on a very small budget.”
How has your work evolved since receiving the Museums + Heritage Award?
Maycock: We have continued to embed, evolve and expand our secondary school programme since winning the Museums + Heritage Award. One of our partnerships with a local secondary school, Addey and Stanhope, now involves 15 young curators co-producing a new ‘Positive Action for Nature’ case for our redisplayed Natural History Gallery (opening 2026).
We have also expanded our careers programmes, and created new session offers for secondary schools in partnership with community members. We have also partnered with the Museum of West Africa Art and University Preparatory School, a secondary school in Benin City, Nigeria, and Nigerian graphic Artist 12th the Creator, to co-produce the graphic wallpaper for the backdrop of the new Great Kingdom of Benin display in the Horniman’s World Gallery.
....we find ourselves in demand with sector peers wanting to learn about our programmes"
What did winning mean to you and your team?
Winning the Museums + Heritage Award has been a huge boost for the Learning team, and it has hugely increased the profile of our work. Internally, the timing of the win was perfect with a new Chief Executive starting just a few weeks later. And externally we find ourselves in demand with sector peers wanting to learn about our programmes. Especially satisfying have been the messages from all our local partners who wanted to share their pride in working with us.
What would you say to others considering entering the Museums + Heritage Awards?
The Awards are a brilliant opportunity to recognise and share the work of your staff, and to highlight your wonderful audiences, and it results in a wide range of unexpected benefits – not least an abundance of celebratory cake!
Where do you display your Museums + Heritage Award?
The Award itself has pride of place in the team office, and the framed certificate is displayed in the Museum entrance for all visitors – including school groups- to admire.
Tell us about your next ambitious project or plans for pushing boundaries further
Decolonisation continues to be a major priority within our programme and we want to co-produce more of our teaching sessions with community groups. An important aspect of this work is in expanding our PGCE student training so that the next generation of teachers have the resources and information to make change in their classrooms and schools, and are confident to engage with learning outside the classroom.
Enter the Museums + Heritage Awards 2025
The Museums + Heritage Awards 2025 are now open for entries ahead of the ceremony next May.
To be among the winners in May, and to find out more about entering, visit the Museums + Heritage Awards website.
