Lesson Investigates new King Charles Coins

Part of the Royal succession process is the change in coinage with King Charles’ likeness now to be placed on all new coins in the UK, Australia will follow suit in 2023.

An interactive lesson from Tes, led by Amy Williams, Education Manager from The Royal Mint Museum, explores the heritage and history of coinage, looking at their designs, their production and where they are used across the globe. It is a history, art and design curriculum-linked lesson, and is aimed at year 6 primary and year 7 secondary students.

Using imagery of the monarch on coins is a tradition which dates back thousands of years. This lesson allows pupils to discover more about the history and rich heritage of coinage in the UK, and why, with the long reign of Queen Elizabeth making this change in coinage a rare moment.

The Tes Live Lesson will be released to all schools on Tuesday 13th December, Tes has partnered with a number of brands to create curriculum-linked lessons, offering students engaging content across a range of subjects.

This is the third lesson Tes has released from their year-long programme of free, easy-to-use interactive lessons in a range of subjects and key stages. They are designed to supplement the new curriculum, giving students opportunities to enhance their learning and teachers the chance to extend their offerings on important topics.

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services, The Royal Mint said of the initiative: “This really is a momentous occasion, and it is fantastic that students will have the opportunity to learn about the history and significance of this change with this live lesson. The Royal Mint is proud of the important part it plays in the management of the UK’s coinage and to share this with so many pupils across the UK & the globe really is very exciting.

“Coins are miniature works of art, they tell us so much about history, and at such a pivotal time, it’s wonderful to see young people engaging with the coins bearing the new effigy of King Charles III and learning more about the role The Royal Mint plays in this transitional time. We also hope this encourages younger people to start their own coin collections. With the first 50p going into circulation this week, it’s accessible to everyone and is a great time to start a new hobby.”

Rivers Academy West London will be the first school to use the lesson and Principal Luke Homer said, "It's important our students understand the history and heritage of coinage and this lesson ensured it was done in a way that was fun and interactive.

“Rivers Academy West London is part of the Aspirations Academies Trust and our curriculum for pupils in Years 7 & 8 injects Applied Transdisciplinary Learning into the weekly timetable. This involves combining elements of different subjects and applying them to a real-world context to bring learning to life. This Tes live lesson with the Royal Mint was a perfect example of how this works in practice.

"At Rivers Academy West London, we also take cultural capital very seriously and the live lesson allowed us to bring a real world experience into the classroom virtually. The quality of it was superb and was as effective as being at the Royal Mint in person."

To sign up for The Royal Mint Live Lesson visit: www.tes.com/live-lessons