We all know that site visits are good for children - not least because they give a break from the normal school routine - and there are a plethora of heritage sites both local and national that are able to offer facilities for school visits. But we also know that such visits are demanding to organise and can be fraught with difficulties (do you have enough DBS-checked helpers?

Will the children behave in the heritage setting? How can you gauge what the children have learnt from the visit and how does this fit in with the new purposes of study of the national curriculum?) With the specific demands of the new primary history curriculum it is more important than ever to ensure that such visits (and any other interactions with heritage providers) fulfil your requirements and those of your children. Site visits have to earn their place and work for you on many levels and here we present some pointers as to how to get the best out of them...