What does the future of museum learning look like? Explore the learning and engagement sessions at the Museums + Heritage Show, 13–14 May, Olympia London.
With a national curriculum review underway and questions about the future of museum learning growing louder, this year’s Museums + Heritage Show puts education and engagement firmly on the agenda. Taking place on 13–14 May at Olympia London, the show brings together learning professionals from across the sector to share research, practical programmes and honest debate about what museum learning looks like in 2026.
The curriculum review gets its moment in What does the curriculum review mean for museums and heritage?, in which Kate Fellows, Head of Learning and Access at Leeds Museums and Galleries, Sally Bacon, Co-Chair of the Cultural Learning Alliance, and a speaker from the Department for Education, unpack the Curriculum and Assessment Review Report and what its proposed changes could mean for the sector. For learning professionals trying to plan ahead, this is likely to be one of the most practically significant sessions of the show.
The bigger picture is the focus of What are the big questions facing museum learning?, a panel bringing together Dr Wanda Wyporska, Chief Executive of Black Cultural Archives, Liberty Melly, Head of Learning at Migration Museum, and Paul Sapwell, Chief Executive of Hampshire Cultural Trust, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing the sector and what the future of museum learning might look like.
Community outreach runs as a strong thread through the programme. In Innovative approaches to museum learning outreach, Laura Beattie, Engagement Officer (Communities) at the University of Edinburgh, Ellen Lee, Schools Programme Manager at the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College, and Penelope Thomas, Creative Programmes Manager at Wolverhampton Arts and Culture, share how museums are connecting with participants in hospitals, prisons and other venues beyond their walls.
Sanctuary at The Roman Baths offers a compelling case study in sustainable community programming. Meliha Hussain-Marchbank, Community Engagement Manager at The Roman Baths, shares how a co-produced programme with people seeking refuge and Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Resettlement Team has built a reliable, core community audience around principles of safety and trust.
Collections and community engagement meet in From store to store: Reviewing archaeology storage at the Museum of Gloucester, in which Elizabeth Johansson-Hartley, Collections Officer at the Museum of Gloucester, describes how a partnership with Cotswold Archaeology used an NLHF-funded project to put collections management at the heart of public engagement, involving volunteers and local residents through a former pharmacy turned Discovery Centre.
Inclusive learning features prominently too. Hannah Thompson, Research Lead, Alison Eardley, Lead Communication at the Sensational Museum, and Rachel Teskey, Director of Barker Langham, present The Sensational Museum: Discover our open access tools and resources, an open access toolkit for creating inclusive museum content for both disabled and non-disabled audiences.
Marianne Scahill-Pape, Learning and Outreach Manager, and Lisa Jacques, SENsory Atelier Programme Manager at Attenborough Arts Centre, University of Leicester, present SENsory Atelier: Transforming SEN/D education through arts and culture, exploring how the arts can support an inclusive curriculum for children and young people with SEN/D.
Rachel Moss, GEM Inclusive Pathways Lead, is joined by Emily Toettcher, Head of Programmes at the National Paralympic Heritage Trust, Gabriella Codastefano, Learning and Engagement Producer at Brunel Museum, and Lisa Ford, Head of Learning and Engagement at Culture Coventry Trust, in Sharing the learning from the GEM Inclusive Pathways Action Research Programme, exploring how organisations can offer work experience and inclusive pathways.
Networking opportunities run alongside the conference programme. GEM, the Group for Education in Museums, hosts Connecting and learning together, a session in the Ambience Networking Lounge for those working in learning and engagement across museums and heritage.
For professionals attending the show, the programme offers both the big picture debate and the practical detail needed to navigate a pivotal moment for museum learning.
The Museums + Heritage Show takes place on 13–14 May at Olympia London. It is free to attend. Register for your pass at show.museumsandheritage.com.
The Museums + Heritage Show takes place on 13–14 May at Olympia London.
It’s free to attend.
