The Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) at the University of Leicester has released a report on the success of a government initiative to increase and strengthen relationships between museums, schools and communities.

The Inspiration, Identity, Learning: the Value of Museums Second report evaluated the DCMS-funded National/Regional Museum Partnership programme, set up in 2003 in partnership with twelve national and more than 50 regional museums across the country.

According to the new study, the project has been commended for its strong emphasis on working towards social inclusion, the effective and deepening partnerships it created between the educational and museum sectors, the powerful learning outcomes for school students and the potential it offered for strong partnerships between museums and communities.

In addition, the research found that teachers valued the learning opportunities provided by the museums and galleries for their school children, with 97 per cent claiming it inspired learning in the classroom and 78 per cent saying it helped their own professional development.

Culture minister Margaret Hodge said: “This demonstrates how much museums can contribute to a number of important government agendas, including our work on building strong communities and tackling social exclusion.

Director of RCMG, Jocelyn Dodd, added: “These are encouraging findings that suggest that museums can play a significant role in national life, through contributing to state educational provision and through shaping and strengthening self-identities and increasing inter-cultural knowledge and tolerance.”