The charity’s Education team were assessed for the national award on-site earlier this year, receiving “excellent results across all criteria” for school visits to the ancient site in Grouville. The news comes a year after Jersey Heritage won the same award for its education programme at Mont Orgueil.

In the 2025 assessment report, Jersey Heritage is praised for the “exemplary” way in which its education service is incorporated into its wider strategy, with the judges noting the increase in the Education team’s staff levels, the offer of free school visits to all of the charity’s visitor sites and free outreach services to all schools.

The Sandford Awards have been a mark of high quality in heritage learning since 1978 and are run by the Heritage Education Trust in partnership with Lincoln Bishop University and supported by Historic Royal Palaces. They celebrate learning programmes across the British Isles that go beyond the expected to create transformative learning experiences.

The 2025 award winners were announced this week and Jersey Heritage lines up against other recipients such as Kensington Palace, Lincoln Cathedral, Gainsborough Old Hall, Keats House, The British Schools Museum and The National Archives.

Tahnee Blakemore, Jersey Heritage’s Head of Education, said: “We are very proud to receive this national award for our work at La Hougue Bie, a favourite Jersey Heritage site for both the Education team and the schools who visit us there. It follows a Sandford Award for our programme at Mont Orgueil last year and demonstrates the commitment we have to sharing our Island’s incredible history with schoolchildren in Jersey. Our aim is to continue to build on that commitment year on year and offer an award-winning programme across all of our sites.”

Among the criteria for achieving a Sandford Award is ensuring that a learning programme is delivered in a way that engages, informs and inspires visitors, and that it contributes to an understanding of the local/ national heritage or the natural environment.

In summarising Jersey Heritage’s success in winning the Sandford Award, Lead Assessor Robin Clutterbuck, said: “Free visits and outreach services are taken up by all Jersey schools, and the Island’s heritage is well integrated within the curriculum. This a rare example of how heritage should be valued and funded.”

The Jersey Heritage Education team will receive their Sandford Award at a special ceremony held at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on 20 November 2025.