Making a booking

To make a booking, please contact us to check availability for all types of visit. We can then advise you of the timetable for your visit.

We will need to know:
• When you want to come and estimated arrival and departure times
• The number of pupils and adults in the group
• The year groups of all classes visiting
• School contact details and the name of the teacher in charge
• If you have anyone with any special requirements
• What options you would like to do during your visit

A £25 non-refundable deposit is required to confirm the booking. 

Information on charges for school visits can be found by clicking here.

Preparing for your visit

We offer a free preliminary visit, which is recommended for all teachers. This gives us an opportunity to exchange information about the site and the particular needs of your class.
The Resources page has lots of information about Norton Priory and activites that you can look at before and after your visit.

Health & Safety
Norton Priory is a safe and healthy environment to visit and all of our activities are risk assessed. We have Risk Assessments available for schools to use in planning their visit, but we would strongly recommend that teachers undertake their own risk assessments.
Click here to see the Norton Priory Education Visits Risk Assesment.

Norton Priory also has a thorough Child Protection Policy in place.

 
On the Day

Arrival
There is a large, free car park at the entrance to Norton Priory, with plenty of room for coaches.

Please note that if you arrive late, your session may have to be shortened because of later bookings.

On arrival, please go straight to the museum reception where you will be met by a member of the Learning & Community team.

Workshop locations

Sessions take place at the Museum site in the gallery, Undercroft, Education room and outdoors and information on the location for your session will be included on your timetable.

Sessions at the Walled Garden take place in the Eco Classroom, the Walle dGarden Classroom, in the Garden and in the outdoors. Please ensure pupils are appropriately dressed for outdoor options with outdoor shoes and wet weather coats if appropriate.

Access
Norton Priory is an accessible site and all of our workshops can be tailored to suit groups with specific needs or requirements. Please call us to discuss what you would like to do and how we can support you. 
There are a number of multi-sensory displays and areas and most of the Museum and Garden areas are wheelchair accessible. Please let us know in advance if there is anything we can do to support your visit.

Lunch
There are various spaces that are available for group lunches. These must be booked in advance and can only be used at allocated times. They include the environmentally friendly 'Eco Classroom at the Walled Garden and the Education room at the Museum. There are also several outdoor picnic areas available.
There is also an on site cafe which is open throughout the day. If you would like your students to use the cafe at any point, please let us know in advance.

Shop
There is a small shop at the entrance to the museum. If you want to visit the shop, please organise your class into small groups of about six and make sure they are accompanied by an adult. Goody bags can be ordered in advance for £1 per pupil.

Toilets

There are male, female and fully disabled accessible toilets at the main museum. There are male and female toilets at the Walled Garden but these are part of the historic Walled Garden buildings and are not fully disabled accessible. Please ensure pupils are supervised when using the toilet facilities.

Photography
Photography is allowed in the Museum and Gardens, but no photography of any kind is allowed in the St Christopher Gallery.

Supervision
We recommend the following ratio of adults to children (adults within this ratio are admitted free of charge).

• 1:6 for under 5s and Key Stage 1 (age 5 – 7)
• 1:10 for Key stage 2 (8 -11)
• 1:15 for Key stage 3 upwards (11 +)

Teachers and helpers will be required to supervise children at all times during their visit and we reserve the right to refuse admission to groups which do not have adequate supervision.

Please remember that Norton Priory is open to other visitors and groups and that you are responsible for your group’s behaviour. Please take care not to touch objects and cases in the museum or plants in the gardens. The Priory ruins are particularly fragile and are not safe for walking on.

Sustainability
Norton Priory aims to be an environmentally sustainable organsiation. As well as recycling bottles, paper, card and plastic, we also compost some waste. We would wncourage you to use the recycling facilities available in the Education Eoom at the Musuem and outside the Eco Classroom at the Walled Garden.

After your visit

After your visit we will ask you to complete an evaluation form so that we can continue to improve our offer for schools. We will also give you a stamped addressed envelope to make it easier to get this back to us.

If you feel it is appropriate, you might also like to give your class evaluation forms that can tell us about how they enjoyed and learned from their visit.
You can view these forms by clicking here.

You can also use a variety of our downloadable resources back in the classroom to follow up on your visit.