Museum Update Report Sept 2026

Recommended · This went to the meeting on Mon 14 Sep 2026. What was decided is in that meeting's minutes.

A report to Museum Committee on 14 September 2026 updates Members on the museum's work since the last formal meeting, and recommends that the report be accepted and recommended for approval by Cabinet. p1p2p3

Since the beginning of the financial year to the summer holidays, the Museum's Schools Education and Learning programme, partnered with Bexhill Museum, had interacted with 2,720 school pupils across 62 schools through visits and the Loan Box Scheme. p13

The report states that as of September 2026 the Government has decided to stop the 'Museums and Schools Programme' funding as it stands, with the fund switching from the Department for Education to DCMS and changing to a two-yearly cycle starting in April 2027. p19p20p21

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery has been chosen as the first venue for the touring exhibition 'A British Museum Partnership: Bayeux around Britain casting a masterpiece' from 10 September 2026 to 9 November 2026. p53

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• p1Report Template v30.0 Report To: Museum Committee Date of Meeting: 14 September 2026 Report Title: Museum Update Report Report By: Katherine Buckland Key Decision: N
• p2Classification: Purpose of Report To update the committee on the museum’s work since the last formal meeting
• p3Recommendation(s) 1. To accept this report and recommend approval by Cabinet.
• p133. Museums and Schools Programme Since the beginning of the financial year until the school summer holidays the Museum's Schools Education and Learning programme (partnered with Bexhill Museum) has interacted with 2,720 school pupils over 62 schools through visits and our Loan Box Scheme. Of this 2,720:
• p1923 schools will work with the museums Funding Changes As of September 2026, the government have decided to stop the 'Museums and Schools Programme' funding as it stands, and changes are being made.
• p20- The fund is switching from Department of Education to DCMS and is going to be run/distributed via Museum Development instead of Arts Council England.
• p21- It is changing to a two-yearly fund starting in April 2027, rather than renewing annually, and is open to all Museums to apply (with focus on their new list of Priority Places).
• p53Hastings Museum & Art Gallery has been chosen as the first venue for the touring exhibition “A British Museum Partnership: Bayeux around Britain casting a masterpiece” from 10 September 2026 – 9 November 2026. The display features casts of parts of the Bayeux Tapestry made by artist Charles Alfred Stothard in 1819. HMAG is also one of the venues chosen to showcase the British Museum’s Digital exhibition about the Bayeux Tapestry as a trail of films throughout the museum from 17 October 2026 – 11 July 2027. The museum has the unique opportunity to display items from Hastings’ collections alongside this, creating connections between the national story of the Bayeux Tapestry and local heritage.