King Coal Workshop (KS1/2)

King Coal [KS1 & KS2] 1 hour
Goathland Station, 30 Pupils

Pupils will explore how railways helped to change everyday life, using a mix of real objects, stories, and hands-on investigation to spark curiosity and discussion. Through an interactive introduction to Goathland Station and its past, pupils will uncover how the railway developed and why it mattered, with opportunities to look closely at historic items and images from the NYMR archive.

Halfway through the session, groups will be split, one will head out around the station to hunt for clues from the past, using photographs, sensory prompts, and observation to discover how the site once worked and how natural resources were used to keep the railway running. Along the way, they’ll be encouraged to ask questions, make connections, and imagine what life might have been like in the age of steam. Meanwhile in the classroom, the states of matter come into play, alongside a scientific demonstration of how steam power works, followed by discussions around the sustainability of non-renewable energy to further explore the role of coal and whether they think it still deserves its title of “King”, or if it’s time for a new source of energy to take the crown.

National Curriculum Links

History

KS1

Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally.
The Victorian era, Industrial Revolution and the development of railways.
The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements.
Queen Victoria, George Stephenson and Robert Stephenson.

KS2

A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge.
The industrial Revolution, the development of the railway & the impact of industry on local communities and the economy.

Geography

KS1 – Place Knowledge

Understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom.

KS2 - Human and Physical Geography

Understand human geography, including types of settlement, land use, economic activity, and natural resource distribution, including energy, food, minerals and water.

Science

KS1 - Everyday Materials

Identifying and distinguishing between materials.
Describing simple physical properties.

KS2 - States of Matter

Compare and group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases.
Observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled.

KS2 - Earth and Space / Rocks

Describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock.
Links to fossil fuels and coal formation.