Schools Information

There is a lot to see and do on your visit to the D-Day Museum. Please see further down the page to download trails and for information on the exhibitions. However to make the most of your visit you may wish to book one of our specialist led workshops about the Home Front, details below.

The Home Front Experience

Find out what everyday life was like on the home front and how families coped during the Second World War. This interactive session will illustrate that topic in a way that makes the experience seem far more real because of the setting and the chance to handle authentic artefacts and documents.
Pupils will investigate items such as: gas masks, ARP equipment, an incendiary bomb, helmets, clothing and domestic items.
The Home Front includes a bit of everything, perfect if your group is just starting or completing the unit.
Find out how people prepared for the air raids and what it felt like to
be in one. We simulate an air raid and use role play to explore the different characters involved. You can even put out imaginary fires using the stirrup pump.

'Discovering D-Day'

'Discovering D-Day' is the name of our study days for school groups which have been developed from an innovative and exciting project which was run with young people aged 11- 18. The study days on either English, History or Maths have been designed and developed through work with Local Authority Education Advisers, teachers and local schools. To find out more, click here.

Trails for schools

Please click on the links below to download trails to bring with you on your visit.

Secondary schools

Primary schools

Booking a Group Visit

For all enquiries and group visits please telephone (023)92827261 and ask for the admin team or email mvs@portsmouthcc.gov.uk stating clearly your name, school contact details, number/age of children, which museum/exhibition/workshop you are interested in and your preferred dates/times. For a list of all admission charges click here.

Length of Stay and Group Sizes

Unless you have booked a led session the typical visit time by a group is 1½ -2 hours. The recommended maximum number arriving at any one time is 60. (When school groups are in the museum, the behaviour of the children or students is the responsibility of the teacher in charge).

Payment

Payment for your group booking is made on the day of your visit. Cheques payable to 'Portsmouth City Council', Charge cards: Delta or Switch. Credit cards: MasterCard or Visa. Please see above for workshop charges.

Exhibitions

The unique feature of the D-Day Museum is the magnificent Overlord Embroidery that tells the story of the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944, just as 900 years earlier the story of William the Conqueror's invasion of England was told in the Bayeux Tapestry. It tells the complete story of the D-Day operation, from the planning and preparation of the invasion to victory in the Battle of Normandy in August 1944. A 30 minute Soundguide commentary (in English, French or German) on the Embroidery is available at a small additional charge. An archive film show with commentaries in English, French, German, Dutch and Spanish gives a vivid impression of the wartime atmosphere and emotions.

The style of presentation around the museums is lively with audio-visuals, sound effects and several reconstructed scenes. These include a 1940's dining room, an air-raid shelter, a factory scene, an invasion preparation area and the D-Day control room at Southwick House. Walk through a Dakota aircraft during a parachute drop followed by a scene of a crashed Horsa Glider unloading a Jeep. Then inside a German bunker to see the invasion fleet approaching and onto the landing beaches and board a genuine landing craft.

National Curriculum – A Broad and Balanced Approach

The D-Day Museum is suitable for a wide range of National Curriculum work. Here are some suggestions of ways in which you can link your visit to National Curriculum areas.

History
KS 2 - Britain since the 1930s
KS 3 - 20th Century World
Britain at war and the lives of people at home (roles of women).

Historical enquiry - what affected decisions at the time and what were the implications?
Extend range and depth of knowledge - detailed build up to D-Day.
Interpret Knowledge - how were posters at the time portraying information
Representation of historical information - how realistic are the dioramas as information sources and why are those scenes chosen rather than others?
Order (chronology) - key dates on a timeline in run up to D-Day.
Record in a variety of ways.
Texts (50+) to give information - pieces of the historical puzzle.

English
39 Texts using all forms of writing looking at life at home and in the Armed Forces such as:
Informative (formal - informal) - museum labels - letters home
Persuasive - adverts from the time
Entertaining - contemporary song lyrics
Emotional (letters)
Drama - role play - evacuation

Mathematics
Numbers seen on the Overlord Embroidery.
Numbers of troops, equipment, food supplies/rations, measurement eg areas/volume of vehicles such as landing craft.

Science and Technology
Appreciation of the role of invention in warfare eg communications and radar, important scientists/inventions, materials eg embriodery, making do and recycling of metal during war, shape and properties of landing craft - investigate different designs.

Food Technology
Recipes for cooking with the wartime rations.

Art, Craft, Design
Appreciate the work of artists and craftspeople - eg embroidery.
Different designs eg posters, costume/uniforms, equipment.

Music
To recognise how music is affected by time, including the intentions of the composer - eg making fun of political figures, keeping up spirits.
Read and learn the songs to consider lyrics, melody and rhythm.

Geography
Maps of D-Day. Pictures of the beaches.

Please book now

We look forward to welcoming you soon!
Call (023)92827261 to make a booking.