Our amazing Learning Team here at Middleport Pottery have been awarded the Sandford Award. The Sandford Award is a standard of excellence in education & learning programmes in heritage sites, museums and galleries across Britain. Middleport Pottery is the only venue in Stoke-on-Trent to be announced as a 2026 winner, making us only venue in Stoke-on-Trent to receive this award since 2013.
Amanda Phillipson, Sandford Award Lead Assessor said “Middleport Pottery offers pupils a unique opportunity to learn about a craft and art form that has been at the heart of the site for more than 130 years. The combination of hands-on activities, factory tours and heritage tours helps to foster a strong sense of local pride among pupils from Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding area, and this is achieved successfully. The value of learning about the past in the very place where history was made, while traditional pottery-making processes can still be seen in action today, cannot be overstated. Through enthusiastic delivery and memorable first-hand experiences, pupils leave with a deeper understanding of their local heritage and a genuine sense of pride in the achievements of their area.”
Victoria Astridge, Middleport Pottery’s Heritage & Learning Manager said “I am delighted that we received the Sandford Award 2026-2031 in recognition of our Learning Programme here at Middleport Pottery. I am particularly pleased that the judge noted how dedicated the team is to hands on experiences and how we aim to inspire pride in all who visit us when they learn about the amazing history and skills of the people of the Potteries, and that those historic skills are still used here every day. I could not be prouder of the Learning Team and our amazing volunteers who share their energy, knowledge and passion for Middleport Pottery with everyone who visits.”
To find out more about our Learning Programme please email learning@re-form.org