Local History Hub Founder Awarded Let Teachers SHINE Funding
Teacher-led innovation recognised with £25,000 award to help grow Local History Hub.
We're delighted to share some exciting news.
Local History Hub founder Matthew Harper-Duffy has been awarded £25,000 through Let Teachers SHINE, a national programme that supports teachers to develop innovative ideas that improve outcomes for children facing educational disadvantage.
The award recognises Matthew's work as a classroom teacher and will provide dedicated time over the next two years to expand Local History Hub's work with schools, heritage organisations and communities across the country.
Investing in teacher-led ideas
Local History Hub was founded on a simple belief: every child deserves the opportunity to understand the history of the place they call home.
Over the past two years, the network has grown from an idea into a national, teacher-led movement connecting schools with museums, archives, historic sites, libraries and community organisations.
Today, Local History Hub supports the development of local partnerships that help children explore the stories, people and places that have shaped their communities.
The Let Teachers SHINE award will allow Matthew to dedicate more time to growing that work while remaining firmly rooted in classroom practice.
Why local history matters
Research increasingly highlights the importance of place, identity and belonging within education.
Local history offers schools a powerful way to help children make meaningful connections between their learning and the communities around them.
It also creates authentic opportunities for pupils to develop reading, writing, enquiry and communication skills through real stories, real people and real places.
As Local History Hub continues to grow, a key focus will be supporting schools to use local history not simply as something children learn about, but as a context for learning across the curriculum.
Building stronger partnerships
The funding will help Local History Hub continue to:
support new Local History Hubs across the UK
connect schools with local heritage organisations
develop high-quality teacher resources
create opportunities for professional collaboration
strengthen place-based education through teacher-led partnerships.
Everything we do remains grounded in the same principle that has guided Local History Hub from the beginning: teacher-led, grassroots, and rooted in belonging.
Thank you to Let Teachers SHINE
We'd like to thank everyone at Let Teachers SHINE for their encouragement throughout the application process.
From the very beginning, their belief in the power of teacher-led innovation has been evident. Their support will enable Local History Hub to reach more schools, strengthen more partnerships and create even more opportunities for children to connect with the history of the places they live.
Get involved
Whether you're a teacher, heritage organisation, museum, archive, library or community group, we'd love to hear from you.
Together, we can help every child discover the stories on their own doorstep.
Interested in getting involved?
