The idea for Schools Adopt Monuments arose out of work in naples, where schools were encouraged to develop an interest in their historic and social environment by "adopting" a nearby monument. In March 1994 Amsterdam, Athens, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dijon, Dresden, Dublin, Luxembourg, Naples, Santarem, Toledo and Canterbury in England created a European Network for "Schools Adopt Monuments" co-ordinated through the Pegasus Foundation.

The Pegasus Foundation is a European cultural association founded in 1991 by members of the European Parliament from all countries of the European community and all political groups with the Parliament. The aim of the foundtaion is to promote support for the cultural and historic built heritage from school children and students throughout Europe, to create new partnerships, to encourage educational material that can easily be shared by each member state.

Convinced by enthusiastic work achieved in Naples, the Pegasus Foundation decided to inject a European dimension into the project and therefore established an interactive network made up of 12 Correspondent Organisations. In England the Education service for English Heritage became the Correspondent Organisation and they selected Canterbury in kent as the representative City to take part in a three year pilot project, with the aim of involving as many local schools and organisations as possible, to promote and highlight multi-disciplinary study.