Risk Assessments
Prior to visiting the Museum with your children you will be required to
produce your own risk assessments. Copies of the Museum's risk
assessments are included in this website for your information and can be referenced from the
workshop or activity to which they relate. Teachers planning visits to
the Museum can visit the Museum free of charge by prior arrangement.
Arrival
A member of our staff will meet your coach when you arrive and show the
driver where to park. They will confirm with you numbers of children and
adults in your group and arrangements for the day.
Payment
Payment is by invoice after the visit. Cheques should be payable to
“Weald and Downland Open Air Museum”.
Access
For specific access requirements for children with disabilities, please
contact the Schools Services Officer on 01243 811459.
Lunches
Picnics can be eaten anywhere outside on the site. If the weather is bad,
the Schools Services Manager will endeavour to arrange for you to eat under
cover, and provide you with bag and coat storage. Please use the bins
provided for your rubbish.
Museum shop
There are plenty of small items suitable for school children to purchase
in the Museum shop costing under £2.00. It would be very helpful if children
could come into the shop in small groups, and we suggest they make use of
their lunch break or 'free' time during the day so that visits to the shop
are staggered.
Clothing
Please make sure the children in your care are suitably dressed for an
outdoor site, with uneven surfaces. It is particularly important in winter
months or wet weather that they should be warmly clothed, that they bring
waterproofs, and that they wear sturdy shoes.
Buildings
Some of our buildings can get overcrowded. Please move around in small
groups and have a flexible timetable so you can avoid delays to your day.
Cooking workshops
If you have booked a cooking workshop, could you please advise us in
advance if there are any pupils with food allergies or dietary requirements.
Safety
It must be emphasised that this is a working, outdoor site. Please brief
all adults and children prior to the visit and on arrival that children
should treat our site and its visitors with respect. Accompanying adults are
responsible for the behaviour of the children, and should supervise their
children at all times to ensure their safety. Any group whose behaviour
leads to the inconvenience of other visitors, or contravenes Health and
Safety guidelines outlined in this information sheet, will be asked to leave
at once.
Visitors should not:
- enter livestock pens or fenced fields
- climb on machinery, carts, wood, hay or straw stacks
Please make sure your party is aware of the following safety issues.
- There is open access to the Museum Lake.
- Please respect our site, buildings and artefacts and handle everything
with care.
- As part of our site is heavily wooded there are lots of tempting tress
and sticks available.
- Pathways can be muddy and uneven.
- Stairs and floors in buildings are uneven.
- If children are in contact with animals, warn them not to place their
faces against or put their hands in their own mouths afterwards.
- After contact with animals and particularly before eating and
drinking, ensure all pupils wash and dry their hands thoroughly. If young
children are in the group, hand washing will need to be supervised. There
are three lavatory blocks on site, all have washing facilities.
- Meal breaks or snacks should be taken well away from areas where
animals are kept, and pupils should be warned not to eat anything which
may have fallen on the ground.
- Manure or slurry presents a potential risk on infection, and pupils
should be warned against touching it. If they do, ensure that they
thoroughly wash and dry their hands immediately.
- All visitors are asked not to feed any livestock.
Livestock - Health and Safety Issues
Any touching of livestock should only be done under the
supervision of a member of Museum staff. You must also check the
recommendations made by the HSE in their information sheet AIS23 - 'Avoiding
Ill Health at Open Farms - Advice to Teachers'
Link to AIS32
If children are in contact with animals, warn them not to
place their faces against the animals or put their hands in their own mouths afterwards.
After contact with animals and particularly before eating and
drinking, ensure all pupils wash and dry their hands thoroughly. If young
children are in the group, hand washing will need to be supervised. There
are three lavatory blocks on site, all have washing facilities.
Meal breaks or snacks should be taken well away from areas
where animals are kept, and pupils should be warned not to eat anything
which may have fallen on the ground.
Manure or slurry presents a potential risk of infection, and
pupils should be warned against touching it. If they do, ensure that they
thoroughly wash and dry their hands immediately.
All visitors are asked not to feed any livestock.
Suggestions to help with your planning
- You can download a Museum map from our website, please ask all your
adult helpers to familiarise themselves with the layout of the Museum,
your timetable and your risk assessment.
- You should carry a list of the pupils and supervisors in your party,
and carry out a head count at regular intervals. All pupils should know
the name of their school and the name of their ‘Group Leader’.
- If possible carry a mobile telephone and ensure you have the relevant
numbers in case of emergency.
- You should instruct pupils or staff who get lost to report to the
Museum shop. Likewise, you should report any pupil who goes missing to a
member of Museum staff.
- Should you require emergency assistance please report to any member of
Museum staff.
- You should be aware of any medical problems or allergies that your
pupils have and you should make sure all cuts and abrasions they have are
covered with waterproof plasters.
- It is recommended that you have in your group an approved first aid
kit, and a qualified first aid person. Should you require emergency
treatment, a trained first aid person will be on site during your visit.
- You should ensure that you are familiar with your own school
guidelines and guidelines issued by your LEA. You should have the
appropriate insurance cover for such school visits. The Museum carried
Public Liability Insurance up to £10 million.
Need more information?
If you need further assistance in planning your visit please
contact the Schools Service
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