Matthew liked doing screen printing at Quarry Bank Mill for a change, but would rather be doing sums back at St Hugh’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Timperley. Kelly, carefully easing the shuttle in and out through the cotton threads of her loom, was more typical of the pupils experimenting with crafts at the converted mill at Styal, near Manchester Airport: weaving a belt was far better than being at school.

A strength of Quarry Bank is that it is a working mill, still producing cloth with machinery used in the last century and giving visitors ample opportunity to get their hands on things. Another is that it offers a personal service to each party, including a guide familiar with the purpose of their visit - often a volunteer retired teacher - and a programme designed to fit their curricular needs. It can even do tours in French, German, Rus-sian and Spanish.

Some museums have rather contrived links with the national curriculum, but the Styal mill supports many programmes of study, particularly in history, art, technology and drama. The country park, which opened in September, backs up aspects of geography and environmental studies.

Derby and Salford universities were there the same day as St Hugh’s. They use Quarry Bank to reinforce work in engineering, social history and leisure and tourism. The mill’s varied resources attract 60,000 people in educational parties each year. These students are particularly welcome since they allow the mill to stay open throughout the year.

Styal was a quiet Cheshire village until Samuel Greg spotted the potential of the 15-foot fall in the River Bollin to power the new machinery being introduced to spin cotton. In 1784 he built the first mill and in 1819 installed the biggest water wheel yet built. Weaving was added in the 1830s and continued for more than a century. The Greg family gave the National Trust the entire Styal estate in 1939, and it in turn leases it to Quarry Bank Mill Trust, which has invested substantially in restoring it and developing educational services. At the heart of the museum are galleries showing how spinning and weaving evolved from a home craft to a highly mechanised factory process, including a huge, replacement water wheel showing how water power can drive machinery.

The main tour begins with the origins and properties of cotton, after which skilled demonstrators show how it was spun and woven by hand before the industrial revolution, including the flying shuttle and spinning jenny.

Rooms with a variety of machinery give a glimpse - and an earful - of conditions in the mill when it had more than 10,000 mechanised spindles and 300 looms, but without the intense heat, pollution or danger. Finally, bleaching, dyeing and printing are shown.

Along the way visitors can see the manager’s office and get an idea of the lifestyle of the Greg family, including the outdoor railway system on which his 13 children amused themselves. By contrast, there are examples of the dreadful exploitation of the pauper children brought from poorhouses as far away as London.

In one year alone Greg’s son was convicted 12 times of breaking the laws on the working hours of children - and those were so lax that children of nine could work for more than 70 hours a week. Another feature of the museum is the educational resource centre, where the St Hugh’s pupils were engaged in weaving, dyeing and printing as part of a topic on “What shall I wear?”. The centre is also used for “Hands on History” workshops.

Up the hill is the apprentice house, where costumed guides show delighted children the living conditions of the 100 apprentices who were housed there. There are weekly role-playing session where pupils act the parts of young workers. The garden grows herbs and dyes typical of the 19th century.

The country park emphasises practical activities like measuring water flow, making maps or studying plants or insects in the valley and woodland. Current issues, such as the likely impact of a second runway at Manchester airport, are explored.

The museum welcomes pupils with special needs, but disabled children will find some parts difficult and others impossible. On the practical side, there are two rooms where parties can eat packed lunches, a restaurant and the mill pantry for take-away snacks.

o Teachers interested in a free preliminary visit or further information should contact the Education Officer, Christine Chadwick, Quarry Bank Mill, Styal, Cheshire SK9 4LA. Tel: 01625 527468