01491 415605 [email protected] rrm.co.uk Planning Your Visit – Important information for Education Groups Before your visit If you want to come on a free planning visit, just call the number above to arrange. Please read any other materials that you have been sent and check whether you need to photocopy any resources or bring anything else with you. Let us know if you plan to use the shop or would like pre-prepared goody bags. Let us know if any of your pupils have special needs; the Museum is wheelchair accessible. We request that you bring an adult to student ratio of at least: 1:6 for pupils under the age of 7 1:8 for pupils between the ages of 7 and 12 1:15 for pupils over the age of 12 Please ensure that all accompanying adults are briefed and have a copy of the schedule. Please ensure that pupils wear or bring suitable clothing; if your workshop involves a walk, they will need comfortable shoes or wellingtons and waterproofs and/or sun hats. It is useful if pupils can wear name badges or stickers On the Day The Museum has free parking, including space for coaches. On arrival, we will keep a look out for you but, if nobody comes out to the coach, please make your way to the Education Centre – to the right of the car park barriers when entering. We have allocated spaces for bags and coats in the Education Centre. There are toilets in the Education Centre; please use these in preference to the toilets on the ground floor of the main galleries. There are toliets on the first floor that can be accessed from the River or Galleries. Lunches can be eaten in the Education Centre or, if the weather is fine, on the adjacent Mill Meadows. School staff have full responsibility for the behaviour of their pupils and must remain with them at all times. For your safety, please do not run as there is a lot of glass plus objects on open display. Please remember that other people are visiting the Museum too. Please go into in groups of no more than 10 at any one time - so that other people can enjoy it too. There is an 18 minute audio-guide; if you would like your pupils to use this, please ask at the Front Desk before entering. The display can still be enjoyed without the audio-guide however and this option is preferable for most school groups. If you have arranged to visit the shop, please go into the shop in groups of no more than 10 at any one time – again, so that other people can enjoy it too. If you hear a fire alarm, the Visitor Assistants will show you the best way out. Gather by the green sign at the front of the Museum opposite the entrance to the car park. Please be aware that the Museum is a no-smoking site. Please also read the full Terms and Conditions provided.

River and Rowing Museum Foundation (“The Foundation”) Terms and Conditions applicable to Bookings for School Groups

Bookings for School Groups shall be made with the Education Department at the River & Rowing Museum (“the Museum”) School’s Undertakings The Foundation is committed to working with Students remain the responsibility of the schools and teachers to ensure that each school visit visiting teacher in charge at all times during the to the Museum achieves its educational objectives visit. and is conducted in a safe and professional manner. • A teacher or other qualified adult will be designated In consideration of your school abiding by these by the school as the teacher in charge of the booking terms and conditions, the Foundation undertakes to: and of the group on the day(s) of the visit and the

name of that person shall be notified to the • permit your school group access to the Museum and to Foundation at least seven days in advance of the our grounds for the purposes of the visit (including visit. access, where applicable, to our Education Centre); • The teacher in charge of the visit should ensure that and all adults accompanying the group are familiar with • where applicable, provide a Museum Tutor to instruct the programme for the day. your school group in relation to the course chosen. • The student to adult ratio for any school group will

be at least In the event that you breach any of these terms and 6:1 where the students are under the age of seven conditions, the Foundation shall be entitled to refuse 8:1 where the students are between the ages of your school group access to the Museum or to require your school group to vacate the premises. seven and twelve 15:1 where the students are over the age of twelve • The teacher in charge is responsible for medication Payments, Termination & Cancellation of the and first aid required by students in their school booking group. • The Foundation will confirm a booking for a school • Teachers should be aware that: group to visit the Museum on the date requested, the car park can be busy; subject to availability of the Education Centre and to the site is adjacent to the river; receipt of payment (if requested) of a non-refundable CCTV is in use at all times in the Museum; deposit. the Museum will also be used by members of the public during the school’s visit. • Unless otherwise agreed by the Foundation, the school

shall pay our current admission cost for groups, which shall be calculated at the time of booking. A balancing • Schools and teachers must ensure appropriate invoice will be sent to the school after the visit and any behaviour by students at all times and make outstanding payments must be made to the Foundation reasonable and careful use of the Museum. by return. • The Foundation will not refund any deposits paid in the • Schools and teachers must ensure that students and event that your school cancels its booking. If your teachers follow any specific instructions given by the school cancels its booking less than 28 days before the Museum Tutor or other members of Museum staff visit, 50% of the total admission cost shall be payable. whilst at the Museum. If the school cancels its booking less than 14 days before the visit, 100% of the admission cost shall be Use of the Accommodation payable. • Every effort will be made by the Foundation to • Any monies due to the Foundation under this provide an area for coats and bags. However, the agreement shall be paid by return upon receipt of the Foundation accepts no responsibility for the Foundation's invoice. safekeeping of any items brought to the Museum and left in the cloakroom or elsewhere. It is the Risk Assessments school's responsibility to ensure that all students collect all personal possessions at the end of the • It is the responsibility of the school making the booking visit. to carry out a risk assessment for its own pupils. The Foundation has produced a set of notes to assist • There is a strict no smoking policy in the Museum schools in preparing their risk assessment document. and the grounds. • Each school will be offered a full familiarisation and • The Foundation will hold the school responsible for briefing session at the Museum before the visit. We any damage to the Museum's or the Foundation's recommend that a date for the familiarisation session is property caused by your group's visit. booked at the same time as the visit is booked. • Food and drink brought by the group may only be consumed in designated areas in the Education Centre. • School groups may visit the shop in groups of no more than 10 students at any time and should be

River and Rowing Museum Foundation (“The Foundation”) Terms and Conditions applicable to Bookings for School Groups

under the direction of a teacher.

Miscellaneous • These conditions and the briefing pack provided in advance of the visit provide you with information about the Museum. Your school is expected to take care during the visit and to supervise the school group. Except in respect of liability for death, personal injury or other liability caused by the Foundation’s negligence or that of its employees, the Foundation excludes all liability for loss or damage suffered as a result of the visit by the school or any member of the group or occurring to any items belonging to the school or to any member of the group, which is not reasonably foreseeable. If the Foundation does become liable, its liability is limited to the full admission cost paid by the school, save where the Foundation’s negligence has resulted in death or personal injury for which there shall be no such limit.

• The Foundation may postpone or cancel a school's visit should it appear to the Foundation that it is necessary to do so. The Foundation will give the school as much advance notice as possible of a postponement or cancellation and shall use its best endeavours to rearrange the visit to an alternative date suitable for the school. In the event of cancellation, except where this has been caused by circumstances beyond the Foundation's control, the Foundation shall refund the deposit and admission costs paid (if any) but shall not be liable for any other costs incurred by the school in connection with the booking or the visit.

• The Foundation is not liable for any breaches or delays in the performance of its obligations under these terms and conditions arising from any event outside its control, including (but not limited to) fire, flood, storm, strike, lock out, electrical failure, Act of God, explosion, war, terrorist activity or acts of governmental or parliamentary authority. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event of such circumstances arising the Foundation will not be liable to refund any deposit or admission cost paid by the school.

• These Conditions shall not be enforceable by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 by any person who is not a party to them.

• These Conditions shall be construed solely in accordance with the laws of England. Any disputes arising from these Conditions shall be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

August 2008

Writing a Risk Assessment for Educational Visits to the River & Rowing Museum

It is the responsibility of the school making the booking to carry out a risk assessment; these notes are designed to assist, but not replace, that task; a familiarisation visit is recommended.

The School’s Responsibility • As stated in the Museum’s Terms and Conditions, students remain the responsibility of the visiting teacher in charge at all times during the visit. • Please ensure that all accompanying adults are aware of the programme for the day, their responsibilities and the potential hazards. y The student to adult ratio should be at least: - 6:1 where the students are under the age of seven - 8:1 where the students are between the ages of seven and twelve - 15:1 where the students are over the age of twelve • Please be able to tell us your group numbers on arrival. • The Museum has First Aid Kits but the administration of First Aid is the responsibility of the school. • The school will be held responsible for any damage to Museum property caused by pupils or staff.

General • All Museum staff and volunteers have been CRB checked and have been trained in our Child Protection Policy and Procedures (copies of which are available on request from the education department). • The Museum has procedures in place to deal with lost children. • The Museum is a new building; it meets all mandatory and statutory regulations and is designed for purpose. • The Museum carries out its own risk assessments to identify and deal with potential hazards around the site. • A Museum Tutor will explain the emergency evacuation procedures during the introductory talk.

On Arrival Bus drivers should take extreme care at the entrance to Mill Meadows on the approach to the Museum as this is also a public car park, with access to a children’s play area, nursery, and housing. Please inform bus drivers that there is a 4.2m height limit at the Museum car park entrance. Hazards y Pupils may need to cross the Museum car park after disembarking and on returning to their coach and, occasionally, to access the galleries. y Ramps to the Education Centre and main entrances can be slippery in wet weather. Actions y Buses should park in the designated area to the right of the entrance or another allocated space as advised. y Pupils should be closely supervised when disembarking from coaches and crossing the Museum’s car park.

In the Galleries Hazards y There are glass display cases and objects on open display. y The Greek trireme display and the rowing machine (both in the Rowing Gallery) are interactive exhibits that pupils might injure themselves on or fall off. Actions • Pupils should be asked not to run anywhere in the Museum.

• Pupils should be supervised at all times, particularly on the Greek trireme and rowing machine.

Education Centre Hazards • Materials and equipment used for creative activities and experiments. • Museum artefacts used for handling activities. Actions y Materials and equipment are selected for their safety and suitability for the ages of the pupils using them. Please be aware and advise us of any allergies to materials. y Care should be taken with water experiments to avoid spills on the floor causing a slip hazard. y The Museum will take every care to ensure that artefacts are safe to handle.

Walk to Lock / River Walks Hazards y Access to and from the river is via the Museum car park and a public car park. y The tow path can be busy with members of the public. y The timber bridge before the lock has a wide gap between the top and middle hand rail. y The wooden footbridge can be wet and slippery. Actions y The Museum Tutor will give a safety talk before leaving the Museum site. y Pupils and staff should stay on the tarmac path. y There are life buoys at strategic points along the walk. y At the lock, pupils and staff should stay within the designated public areas behind the barrier. y We advise accompanying adults to carry whistles to aid communication on the walk.

We will provide a separate risk assessment from Hobbs for schools that are going on a boat trip.

In the Event of an Emergency • The nearest Accident and Emergency department is at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading • The nearest police station is at 4 Greys Road, Henley, RG9 1RY. Their telephone number is 0845 850 5505

Please let us know if you require any further information to help you compile a risk assessment.

How to find us...

Oxford River & Rowing Museum 6 Mill Meadows M40 Amersham Henley on Thames

B4009 Wycombe RG9 1BF Watlington Tel: 01491 415600

4 M25 M40 Fax: 01491 415601 [email protected] Marlow A4130 rrm.co.uk Nettlebed A4155 A4130 A404 London Henley on Thames Maidenhead A404(M) Slough Opening Times 8/9 M4 A4155 Museum Windsor The Museum is open seven days a week Reading except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day,

M25 New Year‘s Eve & New Year‘s Day A329(M) M4 Summer 10.00am - 5.30pm (1 May - 31 August) 10 M4 Heathrow Bracknell Winter 10.00am - 5.00pm 11 (1 Sept - 30 April)

A4130 By Car: follow signs to River & Rowing Museum and Mill Meadows around the town A4155 Marlow

By Bus: regular bus services from High Wycombe, Marlow, Maidenhead and Reading. Hourly service from Oxford Bell St Henley on Thames New St By Rail: hourly services from London (Paddington), Reading and Maidenhead via Twyford

King’s Rd By Foot: follow the signs around the town centre Hart St Bridge London and M4 A4130 Duke St Free visitor parking is available Friday St P at the Museum Reading Rd Grey’s Rd Meadow Rd Wargrave Designated disabled car park spaces Station Rd A321 P with ramp access to the entrance

Mill Meadows Free coach parking P Reading Rd

A4155 P

Please note, if using a SatNav it will direct you to the Reading Museum station not the Museum

sh op 1 ba p 0 gs u % f rc o ha O r s s F c es h & F oo l go gr o ou dy ps the shop t • Pocket money priced souvenirs • • Visit during gallery time, or choose ready to go goody bags (must be pre-ordered) • Goody bags: £2.70 or £1.80 (price includes 10% discount) Please arrange with the Education Department in advance of your visit, 01491 415605 or [email protected]