Schools across England which previously could not afford to travel to the country's greatest historic sites can now do so, thanks to a new scheme made possible by donations to English Heritage.

English Heritage's education team has today announced the exclusive opening times for educational visits to its top sites during the winter months.

Stonehenge and nearby Old Sarum will remain open daily throughout the winter months, with many other sites opening exclusively for free pre-booked education visits in November 2012 and March 2013.

On the face of it, learning about local history and games consoles may seem like a world apart, but an innovative approach to learning about the Romans from English Heritage's education team is set to see handheld consoles used to bring history to life at Wroxeter Roman City, near Shrewsbury.

A new partnership initiative is set to make teaching local history more engaging for teachers in Kent when the Canterbury Local Heritage Partnership hosts a continuing professional development event for teachers on Wednesday 27 June at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Students from throughout the West Midlands will be offered the opportunity to leave their textbooks behind and immerse themselves in one of the darkest chapters in English History at Boscobel House in Shropshire in June, as a host of re-enactors create an interactive educational experience at Colonel Bagot's Encampment 18 - 22 June 2012.

Following on from publication of 'Cultural Education: an independent review by Darren Henley', Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the British Film Institute and English Heritage have come together as the new Cultural Education Partnership Group.

Wellington Arch on Hyde Park Corner will re-open on Wednesday 9 May 2012 as London's latest exhibition space. The Quadriga Gallery will host a fast-changing series of exhibitions that will explore the history and heritage of England, from the story of Stonehenge to the influence of Egyptian culture and design on the architecture of England.

Education Secretary Michael Gove is to ask English Heritage to draw up a list of local historical sites so schoolchildren can visit them and be inspired by "our rich island story".

Mr Gove said the part that the local historic environment has played, century after century, would inspire pupils by "bringing history alive".

From this January, learning group leaders are only one phone number away from booking free school visits at any English Heritage property throughout the country.

Leaders of learning groups can take advantage of an unusual opportunity to have an entire historic site to themselves this March, with 24 of English Heritage's top properties opening exclusively for education visits on Mondays and Fridays in March 2012.

Finding the most stunning winter plants in the garden will no longer be a challenge at Belsay Hall andamp; Gardens in Northumberland, thanks to a new joint initiative between English Heritage and the University of the Third Age (U3A).

The role of English Heritage's Heritage Explorer website has been highlighted in an exceptional case study for local history. It is published in the Autumn 2011 issue of 'Primary History'.

English Heritage Education has published a new Investigating Industrial Heritage Teacher's Kit to coincide with the publication of the organisation's largest ever research project into the condition of England's industrial heritage.

Are your pupils into geocaching? If so, find out more about our new heritage GPS projects and trails.

History hungry students on the hunt for clues to England's past can now take a high-tech approach to historical exploration as English Heritage launches geocache trails at a selection of properties across the country.

Technotrail brings exciting exploration to Rievaulx Abbey.

Forget the guidebook, children visiting Rievaulx Abbey on school trips can now make use of the latest technology to uncover some of the secrets of the Cistercian ruins as English Heritage launches its first geocache trail for education visits to Rievaulx.

The ability to "engage pupils and bring learning to life" is cited by most teachers as the main reason to take pupils on school trips according to recent research from English Heritage. But for just under half the schools deterred from undertaking trips due to transport and other costs, online resources like English Heritage's Heritage Explorer are considered by far the best substitutes.

A year-long project devised by Fran Lashmar, South East Education Manager for English Heritage and teachers from Dover Grammar School comes to fruition this September when some rather unusual self-portraits produced by 12-15 year-old pupils from the School go on display At Dover Town Hall.

David Sheldon, Midlands Education Manager for English Heritage, will be running an 'Out of School into History' (KS1-4) workshop at the Midlands History Forum Conference at the School of Education, University of Birmingham on Saturday 15 October 2011.

Two enterprising Year 10 students from Stonehenge School in Amesbury have seen their design for a Stonehenge-branded wristband become a reality. The wristbands are now on sale in the ancient monument's gift shop and have been flying off the shelves.

The Education team at English Heritage is to introduce its first geocache trails (technological treasure hunts) specially designed for learning groups and families. The first trails will be piloted at Witley Court on 15 July and the Festival of History on 16 and 17 July. If successful, others will be developed at one selected site in each region where sets of Global Positioning System (GPS) units will be loaned out to users.

Learning groups urged to book visits now for this and next summer.

English Heritage regularly reviews the opening hours at the historic sites in our care. Having looked at current visitor patterns, and bearing in mind the 32% reduction to our Government grant, we are adjusting our winter opening times (November to March). More properties will be open than ever before but with a few exceptions, all our properties will only be open at weekends during the winter.

English Heritage joined forces with the Historical Association earlier this year to offer a local heritage challenge competition designed to get learners looking at and discovering new things about their local area. Cirencester Deer Park School's GCSE historians rose to the challenge and entered the competition in May. In no more than 300 words they had to name their favourite local heritage site/building and explain why. It just so happened that this coincided with their current module on local heritage where pupils have been encouraged to look into the significance of local historical sites.

Schools visiting Whitby Abbey will now have access to a new interactive trail, the first to be created by English Heritage's Archives and Education teams using amazing resources from the archives to explain how towns develop.

Teachers are finding it easier than ever to give children an interactive experience of life in Roman Britain, thanks to a unique new teaching resource inspired by Wroxeter Roman City and the new Roman Town House which has been built there.

Learning groups and families visiting Warkworth Castle over the coming months can expect an unusual guide to show them round, as English Heritage reveals Percy the Lion as the new castle custodian!

An initiative that invited school teachers up and down the country to visit an English Heritage site has proved a resounding success, with 745 teachers signing up for the day, and a significant increase in the number of enquiries for free educational visits following their visits.

Over 230 school children descended on Launceston Castle today (Tuesday 17 May) to celebrate the launch of English Heritage's new traditional building methods resource. The first of its kind to be made available by English Heritage, the resource is aimed at highlighting the expert craftsmanship involved in traditional building techniques - skills which, according to recent statistics from the heritage organisation, are under threat and at risk of dying-out if not passed-onto today's generations.