Facilitated Visits for School Groups

Booking a Facilitated Visit:

To book a Facilitated Visit, please contact our Learning Officer. You will find information about our schools programme, visit options, charges and information to help you plan your visit below.

Our schools programme:

Our schools programme has been shaped by curriculum objectives and is designed to link directly to classroom teaching. With a dedicated space for booked activities and over 4,000 objects on display, our learning programme aims to spark curiosity and inspire active learning using the museum collections.

Facilitated Visits led by our skilled learning professionals encourage children with all learning abilities and styles to get hands on and engage with the local history of the Stroud District.

Many of the activities sessions during a Facilitated Visit are led by museum learning staff, including object handling and investigation sessions. Learners are encouraged to develop speaking and listening skills through question and answer, to explore a range of objects, artworks and evidence and to consolidate and develop valuable knowledge.

Classroom-based learning experiences are also available through our Remote Learning Package, and Digital Teacher Packs. Group Leaders/Teachers are also welcome to book a Teacher Led Visit.

What teachers say:

‘The variety of activities kept the children's interest. They particularly enjoyed the object handling session and the museum staff had a lovely, engaging manner with the children.’ KS1 Teacher, summer 2023

Facilitated Visit options:

Booked Facilitated Visits are available Tuesday - Friday. We are able to welcome 1 class of about 30 children per day. If more than one class/group plans to visit, please request visits for each class/group on separate dates. Smaller groups are welcome to book a visit.

Before your visit, our Learning Officer will work with your lead Teacher to create a plan of activity sessions to help your group get the most out of their visit.

Current Facilitated Visits include:

Themed Facilitated Visits for Key Stage 1 groups include: (please click on the topic names for more information)

• Toys and Games of the Past

• Homes of the Past

• Exploring Artwork

• Discovering Dinosaurs

Themed Facilitated Visits for Key Stage 2 groups include: (please click on the topic names for more information)

• Local History: The Cloth Making Industry of the Stroud Valleys

• Prehistory: The Stone Age to the Iron Age in the local area

• Rocks and Minerals

• Fossils and Dinosaurs

On the day:

Facilitated Visits for school groups are available between Tuesday and Friday during term time and many schools book a visit between 10am until around 2.30pm. Using the dedicated space for booked activities, the museum and walled garden, learners work in small, accompanied groups to take part in a selection of different activity sessions throughout the day. Each activity session with a Facilitated Visit typically 30 to 50 minutes long, depending on the activity and the age of the children in your group. A space is provided for groups to lunch in.

Charges:

The charge for a Facilitated Visit is usually £4.50 per learner. Additional charges may apply if external educators such as actors or specialist demonstrators are included in onsite sessions. Such additional charges will always be discussed in advance. 

A minimum charge of £50 applies instead of a per learner charge, if a group is significantly smaller than a standard class.

There is no charge for adults accompanying your group during the visit.

Schools will be invoiced following the visit for the number of children on the day.

Cancellation Policy:

School cancellations: If you (the school) need to cancel a visit we have confirmed, cancellations must be in writing by e-mail. Please email museum@stroud.gov.uk. We advise calling us on 01453 763394 to ensure we have received your email. Please let us know as soon as you can, as this gives us the chance to offer the dates to other schools wishing to book. We aim to be as accommodating as possible. However, because of the high level of demand and costs incurred, if you cancel with less than seven calendar days notice, or fail to arrive on the booked date, we reserve the right to issue a cancellation fee of £100.

Museum cancellations: On very rare occasions, we (the museum) may need to cancel or change a booked visit due to unforeseen circumstances. If we have to cancel a booked visit that we have confirmed with you, we will contact schools as soon as we can, and offer alternatives where possible. Regrettably we cannot reimburse travel or other costs.

Booking a Facilitated Visit:

To book a Facilitated Visit, for more information or to discuss other topics or themes, enquiry question or curriculum needs, please contact our Learning Officer.

Planning your Facilitated Visit:

Once a date and theme is agreed, our Learning Officer will confirm your Facilitated Visit. Please read planning your visit for more information relevant to a Facilitated Visit.

If a Facilitated Visit to the museum isn’t quite right for your group:

You may like to book a Remote Learning Package to enhance classroom-based learning using resources provided by the museum, which can be used independently or in combination with a Facilitated Visit.

Group leaders are welcome to book a Teacher Led Visit where your staff accompany your learners and lead the visit.

You may like to book a Digital Teacher Pack to use in your setting.