Learning resources

Browse our free digital learning resources.

Our free digital learning resources are designed to support and enrich the study of key UK curriculum subjects, through expert articles, films, creative activities, collection items and teachers’ notes. Browse our literature and history pages to inspire your students and deepen your subject knowledge.

In 2023 the Library experienced a significant cyber-attack that disrupted many of our services. We are working to restore full functionality. Currently only a small selection of our digital resources is available, via the Padlet platform, so we've prioritised those we know teachers use the most.

Discovering Literature

Explore over 130 of our best-loved English literature articles, from Shakespeare and Dickens to Andrea Levy and Angela Carter, perfect for teachers of years 10–13.

All Discovering Literature resources

Delve into over 130 of your most-loved articles, investigating key themes, genres and characters in over 1,000 years of literature.

Widening representation

Browse our newest resources to help make the teaching and learning of English more inclusive.

A cartoon illustration of five women looking sideways with a sunny landscape behind them

20th- and 21st-century literature

Examine a wealth of literary works from An Inspector Calls and Mrs Dalloway to The Buddha of Suburbia and Small Island.

Illustration from A Christmas Carol with Scrooge and one of the ghosts by a fireplace

18th- and 19th-century literature

Investigate literary topics from William Blake’s notebook to Gothic motifs.

Illustration of a man and woman, with an upside-down clubs symbol on the man's head

Shakespeare and Renaissance writers

Discover rich themes from Juliet’s eloquence to multicultural London.

An illustrated manuscript decorated with a floral background

Medieval literature

Explore works from The Canterbury Tales to the legends of King Arthur.

Discovering Historical Sources

Energise your KS3, GCSE or A-Level history classroom with resources on migration and empire. Through sources, articles, timelines and films, explore the East India Company, British India, Black Abolitionists and Jewish migration. Find out more.

Migration to Britain, 1750 – 1900

Learn about Black, Irish, South Asian, European and Jewish people who moved to Britain with our short animation and other resources.

Migration to Britain 1900 – 1980

Learn about Jewish, Polish, Caribbean and South Asian people who moved to Britain with our short animation and other resources.

A collage of images relating to migration history

Teaching migration history toolkit

A practical guide to teaching migration history, co-produced with the Migration Museum.

British Empire

Discover sources focused on experiences of colonised peoples from across the empire.

An open manuscript featuring a vignette with an illustration of Olaudah Equiano on one page

Black people in Britain 1730 to 1850 teaching enquiry

Explore our resources focused on Black people’s experiences and involvement in Abolitionism and Chartism.

European migrants to Britain in 1800s teaching enquiry

Explore our resources focused on the experiences of migrants during the industrial age.

A black and white photograph of a family

Britain & India c. 1750 to c. 1930 teaching enquiry

Explore our resources focused on the lived experiences of British and Indian people under East India Company rule and the British Raj.

Discovering Children’s Books

Activities and resources developed with beloved authors and illustrators, including Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Michael Rosen, Malorie Blackman and Jeffrey Boakye for primary schools.

Designed to support our KS2 students in developing a culture of reading for pleasure, writing for pleasure, book-making, drafting and illustration.

Axel Scheffler drawing the Gruffalo and little brown mouse.

Explore a bank of book recommendations and creative activities to enliven your students’ connection with books.

Discover more

Other cross-curricular resources

Articles, sources and activities to inspire the teaching of English, Citizenship, History, Politics and Sociology across KS3, GCSE or A-level.

A portrait of a group of people in black and white

South Asians in Britain, 1830s–present

Trace the long and diverse history of South Asians in Britain through photographs, posters, newspapers and sound recordings.

Learn more

An illustration of a castle in the clouds

Voices of Partition

Explore political events and personal testimonies surrounding the independence of India and creation of Pakistan in 1947.

Learn more