Protecting Built Heritage: Why Schools Must Be Part of the Conversation
Local History Hub responds to the Government's October 2026 response to the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee's report on protecting built heritage.
The Government's response to the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee's Protecting built heritage report, published on 16 October 2026, raises important questions about how we protect, sustain and make better use of our historic environment.
Much of the discussion understandably focuses on planning, conservation, regeneration and funding. These are significant challenges, particularly for communities where historic buildings are at risk and resources are increasingly stretched.
At Local History Hub, however, we believe there is another important dimension to this conversation: education.
If we want future generations to value and protect our heritage, surely we must also ensure they have opportunities to understand it?
Heritage, place and belonging
One particularly striking statistic appears at the beginning of the Government's response: 79% of people say that local history and heritage are important factors in making their area a good place to live.
This reinforces something we hear regularly through our conversations with teachers, heritage professionals and local communities.
Local history is not simply about old buildings or events from the past. It can help people understand the places they live, the communities around them and the different experiences that have shaped their local area.
We therefore welcome the Government's recognition of the social and cultural value of heritage, alongside its economic contribution.
We also welcome its emphasis on place-based approaches, community participation and directing investment towards areas experiencing greater disadvantage.
But how do we ensure that these ambitions reach children and young people?
Where do schools fit in?
Schools are among the few institutions that reach almost every child in their community.
They are ideally placed to introduce young people to local heritage, whether through investigating a historic building, exploring the changing uses of a high street, examining local migration histories or discovering stories that have previously received little attention.
Importantly, these opportunities need not be restricted to history lessons.
Local heritage can support learning across geography, English, art, citizenship and other curriculum areas. It can also provide meaningful opportunities for historical enquiry, helping pupils ask questions, examine evidence and consider different perspectives.
Yet schools are not explicitly identified as partners in the place-based heritage measures outlined in the Government's response.
We believe this represents an opportunity.
When local authorities, museums, archives and community organisations come together to consider the future of their local heritage, schools should have a place in those conversations.
Not simply as potential visitors, but as active partners.
Investing in buildings and the people who bring them to life
The Committee's original report called for more sustainable funding, including greater support for core organisational costs.
The Government's response rejects routine public funding of these costs, instead emphasising capital investment and opportunities for heritage organisations to generate income.
We recognise the financial pressures facing government and the importance of making heritage organisations sustainable.
However, we must also recognise that many of the activities connecting communities with their heritage are not necessarily income-generating.
Supporting teachers, coordinating school partnerships, developing educational resources and bringing local organisations together all require time, expertise and capacity.
Much of this work currently relies on the goodwill and enthusiasm of individuals.
Capital investment can protect and restore a building. But ensuring that children and communities can meaningfully engage with its history often requires a different kind of investment.
Both matter.
Making local heritage accessible to every child
We particularly welcome the Government's commitment to prioritising investment in communities facing greater deprivation and disadvantage.
This raises an important question about how the benefits of heritage investment are shared.
A restored historic building may become a valuable community asset, but are local schools able to access it? Do teachers have the confidence, time and resources to incorporate its history into their teaching? Are pupils encouraged to explore the experiences of the different communities connected to that place?
These questions are particularly important where children have fewer opportunities to engage with museums, archives and heritage organisations beyond school.
Heritage education should not depend on a school's budget, the confidence of an individual teacher or the availability of local volunteers.
Building connections through Local History Hub
At Local History Hub, we are working to make these connections easier.
Our growing network of local hubs brings together teachers, schools, museums, archives, historians and community organisations to share expertise and develop meaningful opportunities for local history education.
We are also exploring questions of place, identity and belonging through our national pupil voice survey and the development of a voluntary Local History Charter for schools.
We do not suggest that local history education alone can resolve the challenges facing the heritage sector.
However, we believe schools have an important contribution to make, and that this contribution deserves greater recognition in discussions about the future of our historic environment.
Taking the conversation further
As part of our response, Local History Hub will be writing to the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee to share our perspective on the role of schools and young people in protecting and sustaining local heritage.
We hope to encourage greater recognition of education within future discussions about heritage policy, particularly the importance of meaningful school–heritage partnerships, equitable access and opportunities for children to develop connections with the places they live.
We recognise that the Committee's report focuses primarily on built heritage. However, we believe there is an important opportunity to consider how investment in historic buildings can be complemented by investment in the people and partnerships that bring their stories to life.
We would welcome opportunities to contribute further to these discussions, drawing on the experiences of teachers, schools and heritage organisations across our growing national network.
Looking ahead
The Government's response provides an opportunity to consider not only how we protect our built heritage, but how we strengthen its place within the communities it serves.
We would welcome three developments:
Greater recognition of schools as partners in local heritage and place-based strategies.
Practical support for teachers and heritage organisations to develop sustainable educational partnerships.
Greater consideration of educational access and community engagement when evaluating the benefits of heritage investment.
Protecting our heritage is essential. So too is ensuring that future generations understand its significance, question its histories and feel able to contribute to its future.
After all, preserving a building is one thing. Helping the next generation understand why it matters is another.
And surely we need to do both.
Further reading
Protecting built heritage: Government response, House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, 16 October 2026.
Local History Hub is a teacher-led Community Interest Company connecting schools, heritage organisations and communities to make local history education more accessible, connected and sustainable.
