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Important Information for Group Leaders
 
The following information is intended as a preparatory tool and does not replace a teachers or groups leaders own risk assessment.
Please share these details with other adults in your group
Children must be accompanied by adults in a ratio of 1:8

 

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. Payment is by invoice after the visit. Cheques should be payable to “Weald and Downland Open Air Museum”. When leaving the Museum please exit through the Museum shop.

Access

For specific access requirements for children with disabilities, please call 01243 811459.

Toilets

The Museum has 3 toilet blocks on site (see Museum map).

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 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.

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.

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. 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.

Cooking workshops

If you have booked a cooking workshop, could you please advise us in advance if there are any pupils with food allergies and any pupils with dietary requirements.

Safety

It must be emphasised that this is a working, outdoor site – you may encounter horse drawn carts 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:

  • enter livestock pens or fenced fields
  • 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 below for specific recommendations). Click here for the current HSE advice on visits to open farms.

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. Please make sure all group leaders have a copy of the map.
  • 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.


 

 

Need more information?

If you need further assistance in planning your visit please contact the Schools Service

  • Telephone: 01243 811459
  • Email       : schoolbookings@wealddown.co.uk
  • Website   :  This website www.openairclassroom.org.uk
    This is the Schools Services website where you can find useful information for your visit - worksheets/trails/building info and images/maps etc. All this information is suitable for pre and post visit work.