Guidelines for Group Visits

Doncaster Museum Education Service

GUIDELINES FOR GROUP VISITS

Group leaders may wish to know that a number of strategies are employed by the Museum staff to make group visits and activity sessions as enjoyable and trouble-free as possible. Some of these involve Health and Safety, and we have arrived at these guidelines through our Risk Assessment procedures. Activities and equipment for younger children The Museum provides safety scissors at these activities. Sometimes we use staplers - they are placed out of reach of young children and only used by adults. We use elastic thread, rather than string. We give careful consideration to the selection of objects to prevent choking or injury. We make alternative activities, e.g. Museum trails, available elsewhere on the site. Wearing costume and accessories Adults always supervise young visitors when trying on clothes and accessories. The Education Officer gives advice about the danger of tripping up over long clothes. We carry out regular checking for discomfort, with rapid removal of the offending items where necessary. Only the Education Officer handles and fits the armour. Weapons, naked blades, sharp-edged or pointed tools The Education Officer will demonstrate these. Weapons are never left unsupervised. Handling taxidermy or preserved specimens The Museum selects specimens for safe handling. Some items from the spirit collections are for demonstration only. We give users verbal handling advice, and recommend hand washing after use. Handling geology specimens The Museum selects specimens for safe handling. Some items are used for demonstration only. We present certain specimens only in sealed containers. We may offer verbal advice not to ingest any part of the items, and to wash hands after use. Electricity We have protective socket covers fitted to power points. DMBC safety - checks our equipment regularly. To avoid trailing, we route extension leads and tape them down. Accommodation The Museum Education Officer advises group leaders of optimum numbers of participants in advance. If larger numbers arrive than we expect, we may invite some adults to look around other parts of the Museum with group members for the comfort and safety of all. As far as possible, we adjust ventilation and heating in activity areas for comfort and health. Movement around the Museum We encourage groups to be considerate of other visitors when they move around - assigning small groups to an accompanying adult seems to work well. Visitor groups need to approach staircases carefully, with a warning to climb or descend in an orderly fashion. Visitors are welcome to use the lift, but at the moment only Museum staff can operate it. People who use wheelchairs can fully access the Museum and there are toilets with wheelchair access both downstairs and upstairs. We have staff who are trained to help people with other disabilities. Please enquire. Interactive displays There are several interactives around the ground floor display area. Some of them involve scrambling inside or on top of fixed apparatus and handling movable parts. Adults should be alert to the dangers of overcrowding on these pieces. Emergencies and security The Museum has alarms in all activity areas and we have procedures to deal with emergencies. There are clearly signed escape exits close to the classroom area. First Aid equipment is available, and certain staff have had basic First Aid training, although we cannot guarantee that those staff will be available during your visit. Attendant staff and security cameras monitor the gallery areas, but we advise group members or group leaders to keep money and valuables about their person. Mobile phones Please make sure mobiles are switched OFF in the activity areas. They should not be used around the Museum galleries or displays. Shop purchases For ease and speed of operation, we ask groups to approach the counter in small numbers at a time, preferably with something like the right money ready. Toilets Small numbers attending at any one time will make for everyone’s comfort and safety. Your adult supervision is important here. We cannot guarantee that staff will be available to assist with toilet visits. We may remind groups to turn off the taps after use. Lunches on-site After an activity, we may advise group members to wash hands before lunch. We expect group leaders to supervise during the lunch break, usually taken in a gallery. The garden in front of the Museum is enclosed, with seats for picnics, although there are gateways open to the public. Children sometimes play on the raised lawn – adults should supervise here as there are no steps. The paved pathways can become slippery from moss in wet weather. Pillars under the portico attract swinging and hiding games, but can present an obstacle to the unwary. There are some steps but they are clearly marked.

For further information contact:

Ashley Barnes or Yvette Marks (Museum Education Service) Tel: 01302 734288 [email protected] [email protected]