‘It’s part of our community, where we live’: Urban heritage and children’s sense of place

The literature on a ‘sense of place’ often sidelines the voices children. Consequently, little is known about how children can be encouraged to develop sense place. This matters because place involves feelings belonging and attachment, contribute children’s wellbeing identity. Informed by research Bartos Severcan, we deploy data from qualitative project in primary school former coalfield area north-east England argue that experiences learning their urban local history heritage help Placing centrally our research, explore they engage with mining history, impact place-based pedagogy. Emphasising possibilities importance deep involvement heritage, show, firstly, ways which strengthened when feeling ownership over own history. Secondly, through engaging emotions physicality, and, thirdly, senses. We conclude pedagogy allows create interpret historical events Taking makes active participants telling story Children then new seeing themselves places, as make connections between past, present future.