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Important update from TheSchoolRun

For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.

What this means for subscribers:

  • Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
  • In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
  • As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.

A few changes to be aware of:

  • The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
  • The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.

*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.

Museums reviewed by parents: The Geffrye Museum of the Home

Geffrye Museum of the Home © Morley Von Sternberg
Bring classroom learning to life with a visit to one of our parent-recommended museums, or explore the website to explore from afar. For hands-on fun and a fascinating trip through our Tudor and Victorian past we love the Geffrye Museum of the Home in London.

Leave the urban jungle behind and step into the Museum of the Home's beautiful gardens, an oasis of calm just off the Kingsland Road in Hoxton, London. Elena Dalrymple visited The Geffrye with her children Kate, 10, Tom, 7, and Emily, 3.

The Museum of the Home is housed in beautiful 18th-century almshouses and explores the history of (middle-class) homes from 1600 to the present day. Wander through a series of period living-room displays to see the how furnishings, decoration and style changed over time (with plenty of opportunities to touch replica fabrics, period newspapers and objects and artefacts in the information bays between the rooms).

From April to October you can also visit the award-winning walled herb garden and  period gardens designed to show how domestic gardens changed over the last four centuries.

A really interactive, welcoming and fascinating museum for families − and it's completely free! The children loved spending an afternoon here and we will definitely be back.

Best for nursery and Reception kids

The brilliant (and free) activity backpacks and trails. We borrowed a fully-stocked 'afternoon tea hamper' and had a fantastic time serving cakes and drinks to teddies (wearing the apron and cap provided), before playing some card games. A guaranteed visit highlight for toddlers and younger children!

Alternatively you can choose a Sam the Dog backpack, filled with multi-sensory activities and a pair of binoculars (suitable for children under 5).

Best for KS1 kids

The Quiz Desk, staffed by Activity Assistants offering quizzes, trailers and quick craft activities to complete on the kids' activity tables. The Feely Box was pretty popular, too − you feel seven mystery objects and try to work out what they are just using your sense of touch.

Best for KS2 kids

At Home with the Geffryes, the (free; borrow it from reception) kids' audio tour was a huge hit with my ten year old. Packed with voices from the past and stories, she listened to the whole thing, entranced, while wandering through the period rooms.

  

Don't miss!

Each December the period rooms are decorated in authentic festive style, so you can see how Christmas has been celebrated in the last 400 years and understand the history of some of our festive traditions.

Half-term and holiday events for families

Loads to choose from and free, they're aimed at kids aged 2 to 16, cover art, design, craft, cooking and baking and run throughout the holidays. They are very, very popular, so try to arrive early in the day to get a slot!

A weekend family activity programme with live music, performance and storytelling and craft workshops is also available.

Food and drink options

The museum restaurant serves drinks, snacks and lunches; a children's menu is available.

When the weather is good, picnic on the lawn in front of the museum and admire the architecture. There are no indoor picnic or packed lunch areas.

Getting there, prices and opening hours

The Geffrye is at 136 Kingland Road, Shoreditch, London E2 8EA (about 15 minutes by public transport from the City of London). Detailed public transport instructions and maps are available.

Free entry. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm. Open Bank Holiday Mondays 10am-5pm; closed Mondays (unless Bank Holiday), Good Friday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day.

Pocket-money shop purchases

Yes (for grown-ups too) − we love the Regency Doll to Dress paper dolls book, £2.50, or the Geffrye Colouring Book, £2.50.

Online treasures if you're too far to visit

Links to the National Curriculum

The Geffyre brings history to life for children (and adults!) of all ages. A visit would offer inspiration and information for kids studying:

  • History of the home (KS1)

  • Tudor life (KS2)

  • Victorians (KS2)

  • Britain since 1948 (KS2)

Photography: © Geffrye Museum of the Home/Jayne Lloyd, © Geffrye Museum of the Home/Morley Von Sternberg

Museum reviews for parents: we need YOUR help!

TheSchoolRun is looking for families to visit museums and other educational venues around the country and 'review' them. Get in touch to have your say about the best family days out (with a learning twist!).