Professor Corinne Fowler discusses how the Colonial Countryside: National Trust Houses Reinterpreted project that she has led has focused on a child-led history and writing to explore, and make widely known, the colonial connections of pupils nearest National Trust country house. Working with both KS2 (Year 5) and KS3 (Year 7) pupils, the outcomes of the project include poems, short personal essays, educational videos produced by pupils, pupil-led conference presentations and guided tours, commissioned writing and commissioned photography by Ingrid Pollard. Corinne highlights the positive impact of the collaborative project upon pupils self-confidence,  interest in history and heritage sites. At the same time, the history teachers involved in the project reported that the activities engaged pupils who were normally hard to motivate, a real ‘game changer’ for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as improving their own professional development with regards improving their knowledge of colonial history and approaches to teaching it.