Museum wins award for quality of education service

THE River & Rowing Museum in Henley has been recognised for the quality of its education service.

It has won the Sandford Award, an independently judged quality assessment of education programmes at heritage sites, museums and collections across Britain.

Helen Cook, head of learning, and Sarah Posey, the museum’s director, accepted the honour from the Duke of Buccleuch at a ceremony at the Tower of London.

One of the judges highlighted the museum’s “wonderful environment” for schoolchildren to study and praised the “interesting and imaginative” resources and activities which supported “hands-on” family and “informal” learning.

Dr Posey said: “The criteria for judging include all aspects of the programme, from booking procedures to delivery to evaluation, so I would like to thank the wonderful learning team for all they do to ensure the quality of experience for our education visitors.”

Ms Cook said: “We are thrilled to have received this award in recognition of the quality of the learning programme.

“The Sandford Award process helps us to review what we offer to all visitors and ensure that we are meeting their needs.”

The award began 40 years ago and has been given to attractions including the London Transport Museum, Blenheim Palace and the V&A Museum of Childhood.

It focuses on formal, curriculum-linked education opportunities offered to schools by heritage sites. The museum in Mill Meadows, which is a charity, opened in 1998 and is dedicated to the River Thames, the sport of rowing and the town of Henley. It attracts more than 114,000 visitors a year.

More than 200 schools visit annually and its learning team runs more than 20 different courses for school groups from Early Years Foundation through to a new PE GCSE course in association with Leander Club.

The museum also offers an informal learning programme of lectures, workshops and events.