Digital Schools Programmes Research Consultant

At Historic Royal Palaces we have a strategic objective ‘to reach every school in the UK’. To do this we are investing in the renovation of existing learning spaces, creating a new learning centre at the Tower of London and expanding the breadth and depth of our schools and community provision. We will also be developing online and digital programmes, creating outreach provision and delivering national projects at scale. Our vision is to transform HRP into a key destination for digital learning, providing easy access to high-quality engaging and innovative educational content.  

 At present, we have a small online programme for schools that runs one day per week and an expanding bank of digital learning resources. Improved facilities will allow us to diversify our offer for both schools and teachers and develop new formats for digital engagement, for instance live digital broadcasts.   

Before developing the new programme, we require a thorough investigation of good practice across the sector. We want to understand who the biggest providers of live/large scale broadcasts and online sessions are in the cultural sector, what they are offering, and what the response has been. We would like to gain insight into successful formats within this style of programming and where the potential for growth might be. We also want to test ideas and potential subject/topic areas to ensure there is an audience need.  

We require research across several of strands of work: 

Digital learning  – Our aim is to expand our digital engagement in order to increase the impact and reach of the schools programme.   We require bench-marking across other cultural organisation’s digital learning programmes and platforms specifically online sessions and live broadcast offers for schools.   

Testing of ideas for different formats and content for live digital broadcasts and online sessions with teachers across key stages.  

Testing of ideas for digital engagement in clinical and care settings such as hospital schools for long stay, school-aged inpatients.  Consulting hospital school staff, families  and organisations about the desirability and interest in such products, types of format and content that would be appealing. Benchmarking and research to see if similar models exist in these settings and what can be learnt from them. 

See the full brief here.