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Essential Information for Group Leaders
 
Please share this information with other members of your group
Children must be accompanied by adults in a ratio of 1:8
Please make sure your children are aware of these Safety  Recommendations


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