Engage, Learn, Achieve: The impact of museum visits on the attainment of secondary pupils in the East of England 2006-2007

Renaissance East of England and Museums, Libraries and Archives Council East of England (MLA East of England) commissioned this research from the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) at the University of Leicester to investigate the impact that museums in the East of England region have on the attainment of secondary-age pupils completing an assessed piece of work as a result of their museum visit. Funding for the project has come from Renaissance, a £150 million programme to transform England’s regional museums, and MLA East of England. This exploratory research has emerged from the experiences of a very small sample of six pupils from Downham Market High School who got better marks for their History assignment following a visit to Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse. It draws on the experiences of nine schools visiting five museums and galleries and one archive across the East of England region, which between them provided results for 762 secondary pupils. The evidence obtained has helped us to understand more about the impact that museums can have on the attainment of secondary age pupils and raises many new questions for future investigation.