Book a talk for school groups

This presentation supports students’ understanding of English, maths, history and citizenship. It is suitable for cross-curricular learning such as personal, social health and economic (PSHE) lessons. There will be time for questions.

The talk will explore the following topics:

• What banks do and what the Bank of England does;
• money - coins and banknotes;
• how to spot fake money;
• different payment methods, and
• jobs in the financial sector and at the Bank of England.

See a resources sheet including activities that can be completed before or after the session.

The session will:

• explore the history of the Bank of England
• look at the Bank of England’s key roles and responsibilities
• identify the role of the Bank of England in setting monetary policy and the policy instruments used (interest rates and quantitative easing) 

Step into over 300 years of stories.

Join our resident storyteller for an interactive storytelling session.

Explore different aspects of the Bank’s work and history. 

'The storytelling session enthralled the children; all were engaged and included' - Year 5 teacher, Beckfoot Heaton School

'It really is a unique experience for all involved' - Year 5 teacher, St Marks CofE Primary School

'Every student, no matter their ability or prior knowledge, could access the activities' - Year 6 Teacher, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

Deep beneath the Bank of England there is a vault full of gold. Impenetrable they say…no gold has ever been stolen… but does that mean that no one has ever broken in?

This story tells the tale of a gold vault break-in at the Bank of England. Could it be true, or is it a work of fiction… we’ll let you decide.

A resource sheet accompanies the session. Storytelling sessions can accommodate a maximum group size of 35 children plus staff.  Larger groups will be divided into two and provided with a gold-themed teacher-led activity to complete inside the Museum. Each small group will have the opportunity to participate in the storytelling session and complete the activity.

Please note that school staff are required to supervise both groups for the duration of the visit.  

The Storytelling sessions can be adapted for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Simply email us at education@bankofengland.co.uk, or call us on 020 3461 5545 (Monday to Friday), between 10am and 4pm after submitting a booking request so that we can discuss how best to do this.

The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street sits high above the entrance to the Bank of England watching the comings and goings. She had watched closely since the Bank was founded in 1694. She kept a close eye to make sure that the Bank of England worked for the good of all people.  But by 1894 she was beginning to wonder…why had she never seen a woman working at the Bank of England?

Join us to find out what happened when the first woman, Janet Hogarth, arrived at the Bank of England. What did her arrival mean for the men at the Bank? How did it reflect the changes that were sweeping the country in the early 20th century? And in what way does Janet’s legacy live on in the Bank today? 

A resource sheet accompanies the session. Storytelling sessions can accommodate a maximum group size of 35 children plus staff. Larger groups will be divided into two and provided with an activity sheet that explores the role of women on banknotes and coins to complete inside the Museum. Each small group will have the opportunity to participate in the storytelling session and complete the activity.

Please note that school staff are required to supervise both groups for the duration of the visit.  

The Storytelling sessions can be adapted for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Simply email us at education@bankofengland.co.uk, or call us on 020 3461 5545 (Monday to Friday), between 10am and 4pm after submitting a booking request so that we can discuss how best to do this.

When you request a presentation, the Bank of England (‘we’ or the ‘Bank’) collects personal data about you. This information includes your name, contact information and the name of any organisation or group for which the booking is being made.

Why we need your personal data

We collect your personal data to process requests for a presentation and to be able to communicate with you to ensure that we provide the most appropriate presentation for your group, on the agreed date and time. This is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of our official authority as the Central Bank of the United Kingdom.

What we do with your personal data

We use your information to arrange for the presentation. We may also send you, as a representative of your school, information about activities we believe you may be interested in. This may involve sharing limited contact information with printing and mailing companies to send these related materials. 

We use a third party provider, Microsoft, based in the United States, to provide the Forms survey tool. Where personal data is transferred to the United States, a mechanism recognised by UK data protection law is used to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (standard contractual clauses or international data transfer agreement). More information about Microsoft's privacy policy.

We will keep your personal data in accordance with the Bank’s Records Classification Scheme.

Your rights

You have a number of rights under data protection laws (for example, you have the right to ask us for a copy of the personal data the Bank holds about you. This is known as a ‘Subject Access Request’). You can ask us to change how we process or deal with your personal data, and you may also have the right in some circumstances to have your personal data amended or deleted. To find out more about those rights, to make a complaint, or to contact our Data Protection Officer, please see our website at bankofengland.co.uk/privacy.