Learning at National Records of Scotland (NRS)

Find workshop bookings, links to resources, archival records and statistics available for educational use at the National Records of Scotland.

The Learning section of the NRS website promotes the use and understanding of archives by teachers, pupils and learners of all ages and stages of learning. Below are resources particularly suited for schools.

Services for Schools

Our Services for Schools are designed to support Curriculum for Excellence and National Qualifications in the form of workshops and online resources for Scottish primary and secondary schools.

Scottish Archive Network

We are a partner in the Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) and have contributed to their website which contains an education micro-site that offers four modules designed to support learning and teaching of Scottish social, economic and political history:

Editor note – In January 2025 this website, The Scottish Archive Network, was decommissioned, but can still be accessed. The SCAN website has a complete web archive and all the content, apart from access to the Highlands and Islands Emigration records, are available via National Records of Scotland Web archive.

The Highland and Island Emigration records database (HD4/5) is already available to search for free on the Scotland’s People website. Researchers just need to register for a free account in order to search it. There is also a supporting record guide for researchers which provides background information and explains how to search the database at the Scotland’s People help and support guides.

Further Resources

Scottish Archives for Schools features online resources created from our unique primary sources. We offer opportunities for interdisciplinary learning at different levels across a variety of themes and topics, such as Scottish identity, letters and diaries, Victorian life and the world wars. Although no longer being updated, it is not to be missed.
Palaeography (the study of older forms of handwriting)
Features section, including a special series which commemorates the centenary of the First World War and on our records relating to slavery.
Publications

If you have any questions, contact the Outreach and Learning team here.

Featured image: Photograph of mobile cinema used in ‘Lend to defend’ war bonds savings campaign, visiting children at a Scottish school, 1939-1945. Crown copyright, National Records of Scotland NSC1/394/1.