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Programmes for Key Stage 3

Medieval Realms History Focus : Reformation and The Dissolution of the Abbey

In Year 7 and 8 many pupils study a unit on Medieval Realms, taking the history of England from the Norman Conquest to the splendours of Tudor England. The story of the rise and fall of the Abbey provides a useful backdrop to explaining the tensions between Church and State which culminated in the Dissolution of the Abbey. Whole class groups can hear a talk in the Abbot's kitchen related to the social context of the Abbey at its height and can explore the ruins either with one of our work booklets or with the guidance of the Education Officer or their class teachers.

For three years now we have offered an intensive study and Drama day, linking Wells Cathedral and Glastonbury Abbey to show the effects of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the local area. Drama groups are brought in to lead role play and short dramas on the Trail of the Last Abbot, Richard Whiting, and on the effect of the closure of the Abbey on the townspeople of Glastonbury. Extra charges apply for this programme. Please contact the Education Officer for further details.

RE Focus : Pilgrims & Spiritual Journeys

This abbey has been attracting pilgrims since its earliest days from all corners of the world, and continues to do so today. The story of pilgrimage, past and present, provides a focus for pupils to begin to explore their own responses to faith issues.

Whole class groups can tour the ruins with the Education Officer, hearing the stories that brought the medieval pilgrims to this site and looking at the spirituality that inspired their journeys. There is a chapel within the grounds and the dressing and sending out of pilgrims can be re-enacted there. Groups can be led on a short pilgrimage to the Glastonbury Thorn on Wyrall Hill to pray the Glastonbury prayer for all pilgrims (allow at least an hour of your day for this activity). Work booklets and talk in the Abbot's kitchen also available.

Local Studies of the Somerset Levels

A day spent at the Abbey and in the surrounding area can deepen the awareness of pupils for their own locality. The Abbey provides a link from Roman times to the present, a record of social history as well as spirituality. The legends associated with King Arthur and the Glastonbury Thorn provide food for the imagination and the town of Glastonbury contains many additional resources. There is the Iron Age Lake Village Museum as well as the Rural Life Museum and a walk up Glastonbury Tor or Wyrall Hill shows the geography of the Levels and the needs, past and present, for management of our environment to support the economy of Somerset and the Mendips. Many of the activities we can provide are designed to deepen understanding of the history and geography of the Somerset Levels and the challenge of a scramble up the Tor provides an outlet for energy as well as a teaching opportunity.

St Patrick's Chapel Art Project - click here for more information