What name did the Romans give to the city we now call London? How many Underground stations can you name that begin with the letter ’w’? These are two of the questions that will be posed to pupils across the capital taking part in an on-line quiz, which brings to life the streets, monuments and people of London’s past and present. The aim is to inspire young people to learn more about their school subjects through the history, culture and geography of the city.
The London Knowledge Quiz was piloted last year and has been developed in parallel with the London Curriculum, a major initiative that came out of the Mayor’s Education Inquiry. It is a unique set of teaching resources that put the capital at the heart of education and learning by drawing on its plentiful assets and heritage to bring depth and life to subject teaching.
Questions have been written by the Museum of London and will test students on a huge range of fun and serious topics related to the history of London from ancient times to modern day. Example questions include ‘what edible item did Samuel Pepys bury in his garden during the Great Fire of London?’ and ‘what caused cholera outbreaks in London?’.
There are two versions of the quiz, one for primary schools and the other for secondary schools. Schools will compete against others in their borough, with the winners in each area going into a London-wide semi-final and the top three primary and secondary schools being selected to go through to the live final. This will be held at the Museum of London on Wednesday 9 July and will be hosted by TV presenter Michael Absalom. The Mayor will present the winning teams with an award for their school and a signed book.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “We are giving life to the curriculum by drawing on London’s great assets and its compelling history. This is about making learning fun and engaging to London’s young generation while introducing a little competition to spur them on. I encourage all of London’s schools to sign up to the challenge and put themselves in with a chance of being crowned London Knowledge Champions.”
Sharon Ament, Director of the Museum London said: “London Knowledge is a fantastic way to get pupils learning about the city they live in. So much has happened in this world-class city that has played host to Roman Londinium, Shakespeare, the Suffragettes and the London 2012 Games. We have delved deep into our collections in search of questions that will give pupils the chance to dazzle with their knowledge of this city’s past. The museum’s mission is to inspire a passion for London – and one of our ambitions is to engage every school child in London. We are delighted to be involved and look forward to hosting the London Knowledge Quiz finals at the museum.”
The London Knowledge Quiz is being led by Team London, the Mayor’s volunteering programme, and delivered by plotr, creators of a revolutionary new careers platform for 11-24 year olds www.plotr.co.uk. Schools need to register by Friday 9 May. Round One of the on-line quiz will take be on Wednesday 11 June, Round Two on the Wednesday 25 June and the live final on Wednesday 9 July.
To learn more please visit the Team London website http://volunteerteam.london.gov.uk or register today at www.londonknowledgequiz.co.uk
Further information about the London Curriculum can be found at: /london-curriculum. The first five subject areas – English, History, Geography, Music and Art – are currently being piloted with a group of London secondary schools. Teaching materials will be available for all schools to start using in autumn 2014.
Notes to editors
Quiz timeline
Registration for the London Knowledge Quiz is now open.
Friday 7 March 2014 Registration for the London Knowledge Quiz opens
Thursday 24 April 2014 Quiz Resource Pack, including topics that will be covered in the online quiz rounds and suggested activities for engaging the school in learning about London, available to registered schools
Friday 9 May 2014 Registration for the London Knowledge Quiz closes
Wednesday 14 May 2014 Live trials for the London Knowledge Quiz (a chance for your team to practise with the format of questions and to test your school’s IT compatibility)
Monday 2 June 2014 Deadline for submitting names of team members
Wednesday 11 June 2014 Round 1 (all registered schools) at midday
Thursday 12 June 2014 Announcement of teams progressing to round 2
Wednesday 25 June 2014 Round 2 (Borough winners and wildcards) at midday
Thursday 26 June 2014 Announcement of teams progressing to the live final
Wednesday 9 July 2014 Live final at the Museum of London between 10am-3pm
Sample questions
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What did the Romans call London? - Londinium
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Did the Romans use elephants during their invasion of Britain? - Yes
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When was the Rose Theatre built? - 1587 or Tudor period
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What material were 1660s fire fighters helmets made out of? – leather
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Before Samuel Pepys escaped the Great Fire of London he buried some of his most treasured possessions in a pit in his garden – including what edible item? – a Parmesan cheese
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What caused cholera outbreaks in London? – dirty water
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Why was 1858 named the ‘Great Stink’? - Due to the smell of the Thames
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Name the founder of the biggest “ragged” school in London. – Dr Thomas Barnardo
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During the Blitz air raids often happened at night. Where would Londoners go at night time to keep safe? - Anderson shelters or underground stations.
London Curriculum
The London Curriculum will support the new National Curriculum, while helping young Londoners to better understand and engage with their city. The London Curriculum aims to improve:
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Subject knowledge and skills – helping teachers bring subjects to life by making illustrative and inspiring connections to the city, its people, places and heritage.
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City knowledge and skills – helping London students to become experts in the places, people and events that shape their city.
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Connection and contribution – helping students connect with London and other Londoners, to make more of the opportunities and help shape their city for the better.
The teaching resources are being developed by a partnership of subject specialists, cultural and heritage organisations and London schools, to support learning in and out of the classroom.
For more information about the Mayor’s strategy to drive up standards in education in London go to www.london.gov.uk/priorities/young-people/education-and-training
Team London
Team London is the Mayor of London's ambitious programme to mobilise an army of volunteers across the capital. The aim is to improve life in London through programmes that will reduce crime, increase opportunities for youth and improve quality of life by cleaning and greening London and building stronger neighbourhoods. http://volunteerteam.london.gov.uk.
Museum of London
The Museum of London tells the story of the world’s greatest city and its people from prehistoric times to today. Our galleries and exhibitions draw on our internationally important collections, including the world’s largest archaeological archive. Each year over 110,000 pupils visit us or take part in our cross-curricular schools programmes and our interactive online resources for teachers and pupils receive over 1.5 million page views. The museum’s mission is to ‘Inspire a passion for London’ and one of our ambitions is to engage every school child in London.
Museum of London and Museum of London Docklands are open daily 10am – 6pm and are FREE to all. For more information, please contact the Museum of London press office on 020 7814 5502 / [email protected].