New from Local History Hub: Pro Bono School & Heritage Consultancy Pilot (Copy)
Local History Hub is launching a new pro bono School & Heritage Consultancy pilot, and we are looking for four organisations from across the country to help us shape it.
From 2026–28, we will work remotely with two primary schools and two heritage organisations, providing bespoke support completely free of charge.
The aim is to explore a simple question: can LHH use its position between schools and the heritage sector to provide practical support that helps local history, place and belonging become more firmly embedded in education?
Two schools
We are looking for two primary schools where at least 50% of pupils are eligible for Pupil Premium.
Support will be shaped around each school's needs and could include an audit of current provision, staff CPD, curriculum development, action planning, coaching and support to develop relationships with local heritage and community organisations.
Our decision to prioritise schools with high levels of Pupil Premium eligibility is deliberate. We believe access to meaningful local history and heritage should not be determined by a school's circumstances or resources.
Two heritage organisations
We are also looking for two heritage organisations that want to develop or strengthen their work with schools.
We particularly want to work with one organisation with a small or part-time learning or outreach team, alongside a second heritage organisation of any size.
Support could include understanding what schools need, reviewing existing provision, identifying curriculum connections, developing relationships with teachers and thinking strategically about how school engagement can become manageable and sustainable.
This isn't about LHH simply creating resources on an organisation's behalf. We want to help build the knowledge, relationships and structures that make effective engagement with schools possible over the longer term.
A two-year pilot
The first year, 2026–27, will be deliberately exploratory. We will work with each organisation to understand its starting point, identify priorities and develop and test our approach.
During 2027–28, the emphasis will move increasingly towards implementation, embedding change and evaluating impact.
In return for receiving the consultancy pro bono, we are asking participating organisations to make a genuine two-year commitment and contribute to the evaluation of the pilot.
Why is LHH developing consultancy?
Local History Hub is a Community Interest Company. Building a sustainable organisation means developing a diverse range of income streams rather than relying indefinitely on any single source of funding.
Our longer-term ambition is therefore to use what we learn from the pro bono pilot to develop an affordable paid consultancy offer from September 2028.
Importantly, this will be an additional service. It will not replace our existing free provision.
Membership of Local History Hubs will remain free, and we remain committed to free core CPD and opportunities through the wider LHH network. Organisations will never need to purchase consultancy to participate fully in that network.
If consultancy proves viable, we hope it can become one of several income streams that help us protect and develop that free core offer.
Help us shape what comes next
Applications are now open for the four pro bono places.
We are also inviting expressions of interest from schools, MATs, heritage organisations and other partners that might be interested in paid consultancy from September 2028 onwards. There is no commitment at this stage. Your feedback will help us understand what organisations need, value and can realistically afford.
Apply for the 2026–28 pro bono pilot or find out more through our new LHH School & Heritage Consultancy page.
The pilot is small deliberately. We want to learn properly, build evidence and understand what genuinely helps.
Then we can decide what comes next.
