Important Information for your Visit

Preparing for Your Visit

We want you to enjoy your trip to Barrow Hill Roundhouse. It is always worth thinking about how the trip will fit into your teaching.

As a preliminary, so pupils get more from their visit, it would be useful to consider the following:

• When was the Victorian age? It may be useful to build a timeline so they know what came before and after this.
• What do they know about locomotives?
• Have any of them ever been on a train?

You can also look in the Facilitated Sessions section of this website to download extra activities to do with your class.

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To help your visit run as smoothly as possible, please read the following information

• In order to make the most of your visit, please arrive on time and with the children split up into groups agreed with our Learning Team.
• Please ensure your pupils wear appropriate clothing. The Roundhouse is cold in summer and freezing in winter. The floor is particularly cold so children should wear sensible shoes and thick socks.
• We can provide children with overalls as part of their visit as there are objects in the Roundhouse which are dirty and greasy (this adds to the atmosphere!) but please ensure children do not wear their ‘best’ clothes.
• A member of the Learning Team will meet you on arrival.
• We will sign you in and arrange payment on arrival.
• Visiting school groups will be welcomed in our Learning Room.

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Facilities

• Coats will be hung up and bags can be stored securely upon arrival.
• Children can either eat their lunches on the Learning Coach or in the Learning Room. We also have a picnic area available in the summer months. We will provide bin bags and we would appreciate it if you and your pupils would tidy up after your lunch break.
• We have a shop which sells a range of railway themed items. We can open the shop for your group at the end of your day, so pupils can bring pocket money with them on the day.
• There are several toilets throughout the site (please see the map provided for more details).

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Health & Safety

• The site is still a working Roundhouse and railway site. It is completely safe if all risks are understood and taken into account. As such, we ask you to monitor your pupils appropriately and listen to staff instructions on where you can access. We will provide a health and safety talk at the beginning of your session but please ensure your pupils stay within the designated areas (as shown on the site map which you will be given on arrival).
• There are also lots of uneven surfaces on site so please ensure children do not run and that they wear sensible footwear.
• Download our Risk Assessment Guidelines here.
• We recommend that teachers arrange to visit the site before their school trip in order to produce their own risk assessment. Please contact us to arrange this, free of charge.

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Directions and Parking

• We have a spacious car park suitable for coaches and minibuses situated right next to the Roundhouse entrance.
• Parking is FREE.
• Please use the public entrance on the left hand side of Campbell Drive approximately 100m from the junction with Station Road. Please do not use the commercial entrance to the site.
• Barrow Hill Roundhouse is located on Campbell Drive (S43 2PR) in Barrow Hill. We are approximately one mile from Staveley and 3 miles from Chesterfield. Click here for more information on how to find us and a Google map.
  

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If you have any questions about your trip, please do not hesitate to contact our Learning Team at:

Email: learning@barrowhill.org