How the National Portrait Gallery’s Schools Hub is Transforming Learning Through Portraiture

In September 2023, the National Portrait Gallery launched Schools Hub, a free, online learning resource designed to support the teaching of Art & Design and History through portraiture.

Developed as part of the gallery’s Inspiring People Project, this innovative platform has been designed with educators and students firmly in mind, providing practical, curriculum-linked content that meets the specific needs of schools across the UK and beyond.

Eleanor Hilton, Digital Learning Manager at the National Portrait Gallery, recently shared the development journey of Schools Hub during a presentation at the Museum Learning Summit, highlighting the data-driven, audience-centred approach that shaped the project.

From research and design to lessons learned, her insights provide valuable guidance for educators and cultural professionals looking to create digital resources that truly resonate with their audiences.

A Resource Designed for Teachers, Informed by Teachers

At its core, Schools Hub reflects a deep understanding of teachers’ needs and the realities of the classroom. Hilton emphasised the importance of starting with audience research: “You literally can’t know your target audiences too well,” she remarked.

While Hilton’s experience as a qualified teacher gave her an informed perspective, the team avoided assumptions, instead engaging in extensive research to uncover what teachers genuinely require from digital learning resources.

The research process involved:

• Desk-based research to understand the broader digital education landscape.
• In-depth interviews with teachers to identify specific challenges.
• Market analysis of existing resources to spot opportunities and gaps.
• Iterative testing of concepts with educators to ensure practical utility.

A key takeaway was the importance of delivering content that saves time for teachers. Educators, Hilton noted, are under immense pressure to manage lesson planning, marking, and pastoral responsibilities alongside teaching.

Schools Hub was therefore designed to be intuitive, flexible, and immediately usable, reducing the need for additional planning.

Tailoring Content to Curriculum Needs

Schools Hub features more than 160 newly commissioned resources, including:

• Detailed portrait analyses linked to the national curriculum.
• Topic-focused learning materials exploring themes such as empire, migration, and identity.
• Short videos under five minutes, designed to support teaching without overloading time-poor educators.
• Interactive tools, such as glossary pop-ups and accordion menus, to make content accessible and engaging.

The resources were specifically created to fill curriculum gaps and provide additional support in areas where teachers often feel less confident, such as art analysis or sensitive historical topics.

This focus on relevance and flexibility ensures the materials are widely usable in primary and secondary classrooms alike.

A Collaborative, Iterative Development Process

Hilton described the Schools Hub project as a model of collaboration. The team at the National Portrait Gallery worked across departments, combining expertise from the Learning & Engagement, Curatorial, and Digital teams.

Externally, they partnered with historians, artists, education advisors, and web developers to ensure both content and functionality met the highest standards.

A particularly effective strategy was the adoption of an iterative design model. By starting with a “minimum viable product” – simple mock-ups tested with teachers early in the process – the team was able to gather meaningful feedback without overcommitting resources.

This approach allowed them to refine ideas, avoid costly mistakes, and ensure the final product truly aligned with teachers’ expectations.

Hilton also highlighted the importance of using tools like the Value Proposition Canvas to understand teachers’ “jargon-free” needs. This framework helped the team identify teachers’ core responsibilities, challenges, and priorities, shaping content that genuinely addressed classroom pain points.

Meeting Technical and Pedagogical Needs

One of the challenges Hilton’s team faced was aligning pedagogical requirements with technical functionality. Digital resources often rely on templates or systems designed for other purposes, such as museum visitor engagement.

To overcome this, the Schools Hub team collaborated closely with web developers to build bespoke features, such as:

• Accordion menus that hide prompts to encourage open discussion before revealing guided answers.
• Glossary tooltips to improve accessibility for students encountering unfamiliar terms.

By integrating content development and technical design, the team ensured a seamless user experience that supports both teachers and learners.

Lessons Learned and Top Tips

Reflecting on the Schools Hub project, Hilton shared valuable lessons for museum educators and cultural professionals developing digital resources:

1. Put your audience first – Understand their needs through research and testing. Don’t assume you already know the answers.
2. Prioritise quality and relevance – Curriculum-linked content must save time, provide value, and deliver something teachers can’t easily produce themselves.
3. Take an iterative approach – Test ideas early and often to minimise risk and maximise impact.
4. Build a strong, multi-disciplinary team – Combine internal expertise with external collaborators to address knowledge or skills gaps.
5. Ensure content and functionality align – Seamless navigation and accessibility are essential for time-poor educators.

A Model for Digital Learning Success

Schools Hub represents a thoughtful and rigorous approach to creating digital learning resources that are practical, engaging, and trusted by teachers.

By placing audience needs at the heart of development, the National Portrait Gallery has created a valuable tool for schools and set a strong example for how museums can successfully extend their reach and relevance through digital education.

For museums looking to develop similar initiatives, Hilton’s insights provide a clear roadmap: know your audience, test your ideas, and deliver content that meets a genuine need.

The result, as Schools Hub demonstrates, is a resource that transforms learning and opens up new opportunities for engagement through museum collections.

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Eleanor Hilton, Digital Learning Manager at the National Portrait Gallery shared the development of Schools Hub at the Museum Learning Summit 2023.