Project Education Officer

Job title
'Last Post' Project Education Officer

Salary
£23k pro rata

Terms

  • 9 month contract (Secondments and job shares welcome)
  • 37 hours a week, flexible between 8.30am and 5.30pm. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required
  • 22.5 days holiday plus public and bank holidays (The leave year runs from 1 April to 31 March, and leave will be awarded on a pro-rata basis for any incomplete years)
This is a fixed-term position to deliver the learning elements of the project 'Last Post: Remembering the First World War'. This project is a partnership between The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA), City of Westminster Archives, and the Royal Armouries at the Tower of London. The BPMA is the lead partner and this role is based at the BPMA's offices in central London, WC1. The project has been made possible thanks to the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Heritage Lottery Fund logo

Background

The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) cares for The Royal Mail Archive (open to the public), and the former collections of the National Postal Museum (in store).

The BPMA’s long-term plan is to open a new museum and archive centre in London.  In the meantime, we are working to make the collections as accessible as possible to the public.  We do this through online exhibitions, touring exhibitions, education projects and outreach programmes and events. This is all set against a solid background of cataloguing and collections management.

The Job

This HLF funded project is based around the role of the Post Office in the First World War. It aims to bring together the idea of remembrance, the role of women on the Home Front, and citizenship issues around censorship of the mail. This is a partnership project between the BPMA, City of Westminster Archives and The Tower of London, and although this job is based at the BPMA you will be working with staff from each organisation to fulfill the project brief, below.

The main outputs from the project will be school and community education sessions, based on ideas developed from two education packs.

Project Brief

  1. KS1/2 and KS2/3 education packs researched, designed and printed
  2. Produce online resource to provide digital copies of packs and supporting material
  3. Coordinate and carry out an education programme with events
  4. Produce additional resources such as information sheets and glossaries
  5. Training volunteers to use new resources in schools
A focus group of KS 1/2 & KS3 teachers will need to be set up to develop and test ideas for the project. They will then be consulted again once a draft version of the education pack has been produced.

The education packs should cover and link to National Curriculum and standard Schemes of Work in areas including, but not limited to:
  • KS2 QCA History Unit 17: What are we remembering on Remembrance Day?
  • KS3 History Unit 18: 20th Century Conflict, NC 7: Local history study
  • KS3 Citizenship Unit 3: Human Rights
The pack should include:
  • Timeline of key events
  • Key terms/Glossary reference section
  • Teachers notes with historical background, explanations of activities
  • Activity sheets for use by pupils
  • Facsimiles of archive material
  • Illustrations and other visual material

The Person

You should be committed to enabling wider access to museums, and enjoy creating and delivering imaginative outreach projects in partnership with local organisations, groups and individuals.

Experience:
  • PGCE/other teaching qualification, OR equivalent educational experience (You should have a relevant degree with appropriate experience, for example, in museum education, community outreach, youth work, heritage or arts development).
  • Previous experience of producing educational resources and/or working with museum visits linked to work in the classroom.
  • Awareness of and willingness to use ‘Inspiring Learning for all’ framework.
  • Experience of dealing with graphic designers.
  • Experience of developing project to engage underrepresented sections of the community.

Skills & abilities to:

  • Work with Head of Access & Learning in developing sustainable programme of outreach and education work based on the Post Office during the First World War.
  • Research .
  • Plan, design and implement the project education programme.
  • Evaluate effectiveness of the project education programme.
  • Work with BPMA staff on website content and delivery.
  • The ability to communicate with people across all audiences is essential.
This post reports to the Head of Access & Learning at the BPMA.

Application details

To find out more about the job please call Libby Buckley on 020 7239 2561.  To apply please send a CV and cover letter to:

Libby Buckley
Head of Access & Learning
The British Postal Museum & Archive
Freeling House
Phoenix Place
LONDON WC1X 0DL

Or send by email to libby.buckley@postalheritage.org.uk

Closing date for applications: 3 November 2006.
Only those applicants asked to interview will be contacted. 

The British Postal Museum & Archive is an equal opportunities employer.