British Schools Museum

15/10/2026

Fallen from grace...

This board game is a fascinating example of the hidden curriculum of children's moral education. Early 20th-century versions of Snakes and Ladders inherited the strong moral lessons of the late Victorian era. Adapted from the ancient Indian spiritual game Moksha Patam (or Gyan Chaupar), the game was commercialised in Britain during the 1890s. Publishers such as J.W. Spear & Sons and Chad Valley transformed its original Hindu and Jain concepts of karma into a framework of virtues and vices of an industrial society.

On this board, every snake and ladder carries a moral lesson. The length of each one reflects the perceived seriousness of a vice or the value of a virtue: the worse the failing, the further the fall; the greater the virtue, the higher the climb. Indolence leads to poverty, indulgence risks illness, while patience brings attainment and industry paves the way to success. Through play, children were encouraged to develop both good morals and a strong work ethic.

If you were designing a Snakes and Ladders board today, which behaviours would earn a ladder, and which would send you sliding down a snake?

12/10/2026

11/10/2026

💀🎃In the Hallowe'en mood yet? Check out our exhibition Unmentionables that will spook you out with the most horrible bits of local history! https://britishschoolsmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/

08/10/2026

Are you getting into the Halloween mood as well? 🎃

This weak, we feature a lovely piece of our book collection, 'Round The Grange Farm: Or, Good Old Times' By Jean L. Watson. The nostalgia imbued novel explores the traditional Scottish celebration of Hallowe'en as a blend of ancient pagan folklore and cozy community festivities.

🍵Chapter IX details various fortune-telling and matchmaking games, such as apple bobbing, casting egg whites in water, and the game of luggies, used by villagers to playfully "trifle with fate".

🪄In Ireland and Scotland, Three Luggies (also known as Three Bowls) is a classic Halloween parlor game played during Samhain Three bowls are placed on a table—one with clean water, one with dirty water, and one empty. A player is blindfolded, spun around, and must dip their fingers into a bowl. Choosing the clean water predicts a happy marriage; the dirty water predicts a troubled marriage; the empty bowl predicts remaining single.

So which one will you pick?

05/10/2026

We’re hiring!

The British Schools Museum in Hitchin is looking for a Finance Officer/Administrator to join our small, friendly team.

20 hours per week, ideally Monday to Friday, 10am to 2pm, with some flexibility.

£26,500 per annum, full time equivalent, pro rata for 20 hours per week.

You’ll look after our day to day finances, prepare monthly accounts and audience statistics, and help with school and group bookings and general administration.

We’re looking for someone with finance experience, confidence using Microsoft Office and Sage Online, and good attention to detail. Discretion and a considerate approach to working with others are also important.

Apply by Monday 19th October 2026.

Please send your CV and a short covering letter to [email protected].

Full details and the job description are on our website: https://www.britishschoolsmuseum.org.uk/opportunities-support/job-vacancies/

Please share with anyone who might be interested!

03/10/2026

🤘The hornbook was a widespread educational tool from the 15th century for children learning the alphabet. Despite its name, a hornbook was not actually a book, but a sheet of parchment or paper mounted onto a thin wooden board with a short handle. In some cases, ivory was used instead of wood.

🔠The information was arranged in a standard format, typically including the alphabet, the digits one to nine, the Lord’s Prayer, and sometimes a syllabary, a list of characters representing syllables. To protect the text from wear, it was covered with a thin translucent sheet of horn, secured by a frame of riveted copper strips.

This example is a beautiful reproduction of the medieval teaching aid crafted by Derek Wheeler, former teacher of the Hitchin British School and volunteer of the British Schools Museum. Want to hear more stories where craft meets history? Join us for Derek’s talk, a reproduction comedy on the 6th October. Tickets are available! Link in comments!

02/10/2026

Link in comments!

Carve or decorate your own pumpkin, tour our haunted Headmaster's House, and take part in spooOOOooky crafts for kids...

Join us this Halloween Half Term for the only indoor Pumpkin Patch in Hitchin. With pumpkin carving (or decorating for younger kids), halloweeny crafts, and a haunted Headmaster's house!

With various levels of entry, choose between crafts, with a tour of our Haunted Headmaster's House, add pumpkin carving/decorating or even add a personalised tour of the Museum from our Museum team!

01/10/2026

🔨 Last Chance to Book Your Ticket! 🧴

Got a thing for DIY disasters, restoration adventures and stories involving rather a lot of glue?

Join us on 6 October for Derek’s restoration comedy, A Room with Some Glue!

Expect funny anecdotes, fascinating stories, unexpected characters and a behind-the-scenes look at the people and projects that have inspired Derek along the way.

Whether you’re a seasoned DIY enthusiast or someone who prefers to admire restoration work from a safe distance, there’s something for you!

🎟️ Book your ticket now – before it’s too late to stick around! Link in comments!

23/09/2026

📝Would You Pass This Spelling Test?

Gill's Civil Service Spelling Book of "2345 Spelling Words Constantly Mis-Spelt". Published by M.H. Gill & Son (Dublin) in the 19th and early 20th centuries to help candidates prepare for government and civil service examinations, this little pamphlet is proof that education is not limited to children in schools, but is lifelong.

📚This fact also explains the rather esoteric vocabulary, as there is probably a limit to the requirement in schools for children to learn "pertinacious", "querulous" or "œcumentical". Let us hope that Annie Smith was successful!