National Museums Liverpool (NML), supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, is developing the National Centre for Teaching Black History as part of the redevelopment of the International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum.
Ahead of the National Centre’s launch in 2029, NML will deliver two connected pilot programmes across the Liverpool City Region. These programmes will test and refine new approaches to teaching Black history, anti-racist education and museum learning through partnerships with schools, teachers, Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers, artists, creative practitioners, local historians and young people.
The purpose is not simply to deliver activity, but to co-produce, test and evidence a new museum learning pedagogy that can be shared nationally through the National Centre.
The National Centre aims to demonstrate how museums and galleries can become long-term partners in curriculum delivery and enrichment, using Black history, collections, creative practice and local heritage to strengthen teaching, foster belonging and improve educational outcomes for all learners.
They believe every child should be entitled to learn Black history through authentic museum collections, heritage and the stories they tell – not because they are Black, but because this history belongs to all of us.
Learning, Evaluation and Research Partner: Anti-Racist Education Programme & Initial Teacher Education Programme, September 2026 – July 2028
They are seeking an experienced Learning, Evaluation and Research Partner to accompany the programme throughout its two-year delivery.
Rather than undertaking a traditional end-of-project evaluation, the successful organisation will act as a critical friend, providing ongoing developmental evaluation that informs programme improvement while independently evidencing impact.
The evaluation should help us understand:
• how teachers’ practice changes over time
• how trainee teachers’ confidence develops
• how pupils experience learning
• how creative practice contributes to learning
• how museum collections support curriculum learning
• how partnerships between museums and schools develop
• what should become core elements of the National Centre’s future educational offer.
Outputs
The successful partner will produce:
• Evaluation framework
• Baseline evaluation report
• Six termly developmental learning reports
• Two annual evaluation reports
• Final evaluation report
• Executive summary
• Presentation of findings
• Recommendations for the National Centre for Teaching Black History
• Practical framework for teaching Black history through museums and galleries.
They are seeking strong experience of developmental, mixed-method evaluation in education, museum, heritage, cultural learning or anti-racist practice contexts, a strong track record of producing high-quality evaluation reports that demonstrate robust methodology, insightful analysis, clear communication of findings and practical recommendations that have informed programme development, and a thoughtful, informed understanding of anti-racist education, racial literacy, curriculum change and the role of
museums in teaching Black history.
Please visit https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/freelance-opportunities for more detailed information.