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. There
will be other vehicles driving and parking in the area. When leaving the
Museum please exit through the Museum shop.
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.
Access
For specific access requirements for children with
disabilities, please call 01243 811459. We have 2 wheelchairs that can be
reserved. Please ring for more details.
Toilets
The Museum has 3 toilet blocks on site (see Museum
map). Two of these blocks have disabled toilets.
Lunches
Picnics can be eaten anywhere outside on the site, we
do have a few picnic blankets for schools to use. Please ring 01243811459 to
reserve them. 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 and make
sure no waste is left on the floor. The Museum does have a Café if you
anticipate using this facility please call in advance to check its opening
times.
We discourage groups from eating lunch by the lake as
we have a large number of wild ducks living by the lake. The ducks are
very naughty and have taken to biting people to get food.
Museum shop
There are plenty of small items suitable for school
children to purchase in the Museum shop, a minimum of £3.00 per child is
recommended for children to spend. 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.
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. You may be asked to wait outside some of our buildings until
more space is available inside. We do apologise in advance if you have to
wait.
Building Crafts Gallery
This is an excellent facility that is available to
school groups to use as a base room, store lunch bags and eat lunch in if
needs be. This needs to be booked in advance. There is a wonderful display
of tools and crafts on the walls, however the display houses sharp items and
MUST NOT BE TOUCHED.
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.
Payment
Payment is by invoice after the visit. Cheques should
be payable to “Weald and Downland Open Air Museum”.
Safety
It must be emphasised that this is a working, outdoor
site – you may encounter horse drawn carts and vehicles operating around the
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:
(a)
enter livestock pens or fenced fields
(b) climb on machinery, carts, wood, hay or straw stacks
Any touching of livestock should only be done under the
supervision of a member of Museum staff (see back page for specific
recommendations). Current HSE advice on visits to open farms.
Suggestions to help with your planning
You can download a
Museum map , please ask all your adult helpers to familiarise themselves
with the layout of the Museum, your timetable and your risk assessment.
Please make sure all group leaders have a copy of the map. We also have
downloadable activities and information packs that are free to use.
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. Please take note; mobile
phone signal is poor at the Museum. Vodafone tariff is the most reliable one
to use.
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. Should you need to use a Landline phone these
are available in the following locations – Education Room (upstairs) (map
ref. 32) & Museum Shop (map ref. 1). Please ask a member of staff before
using a landline phone.
You should be aware of any medical problems or
allergies/dietary requirements 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 – please request for the Museum trained first aid person
at the Museum shop.
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 carries
Public Liability Insurance up to £10 million.
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