The site - www.learningcurve.gov.uk - has been produced to allow UK schools to gain access to records held at The National Archives. This has allowed teachers across the country to access original, historic material, from a known and trusted source.

The resource is designed to help teachers access a range of educational material from individual lesson plans, to complete online exhibitions tailored towards the Key Stages 2-5 of the UK National Curriculum History syllabus. The content is put together by an in-house team that combines teaching experience and online expertise.

The site covers a wide range of complex topics across many historical periods from 1066 to 1972, including Domesday, Crime in the Middle Ages, the Spanish Armada, the Civil War, the Rise of the British Empire, 19th Century censuses, the Great War and Bloody Sunday.

Recent additions include the innovative and exciting Prisoner 4099 project and a new online resource examining film for educational merit. The Prisoner 4099 project is a perfect example of the Learning Curve engaging with children. A group of 26 visually impaired children collaborated with the Learning Curve to help them build an accessible resource. The site recently went live and has already proved to be very popular with children and teachers alike.

Focus on Film draws from the resources of the Imperial War Museum, British Film Institute and ITN Source to provide teachers with access to primary source materials. The site is designed to provide structured lesson plans for teachers. Alternatively it can be used as a fluid teaching tool looking at how periods in history were portrayed by the media through time. The site also features an innovative film-editing tool allowing students to put themselves in the shoes of the news editor.

Learning Curve has attracted a number of plaudits from teachers who have said that the site:

“Saves me huge amounts of preparation time…. I’ve also found the activities to be better than on many other sites or packages”

“Gives the opportunity for independent learning” and has “Useful and informative sources, well presented and easy to navigate.”

As one teacher commented: “The Learning Curve brings the past to life.”

Andrew Payne, education manager, at The National Archives said “Learning Curve is an excellent tool for history teachers. Complex and difficult issues are brought to life by using a range of multi media. The site features games, video clips, sound files, plays, speeches and digital images of files held at The National Archives. Resources available for teachers range from the ‘lesson-ready’ snapshot to the larger online exhibitions which provide source-based information on key periods in history.”

To visit the Learning Curve go to: www.learningcurve.gov.uk

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