"To get the best value from your visit, we strongly advise you to embed your visit into your schemes of work for the term."

Dr Anjali Das,  Head of Learning at The Centre for Computing History

This section will provide you with information about:

• before you book
• before your visit
• student behaviour
• the day of your visit
• your involvement on the day

Before you book

Ready to send that booking email?  Well perhaps, but before you do here are a few reminders to make sure you have everything in place.

Checkout the Learning section of the website and gather a good understanding of what is here and how that might support your students' learning. 

Why not call in on us before your group visits and meet one of the Learning team to discuss your particular needs?

You might consider:

• What year group(s) of students would benefit most from a visit?
• What time of year maximises the impact of your exploration of the Centre?
• What other supervising adults will you need to attend?
• Any special considerations such as the need for wheelchair access?

Before you book, look through the visit day workshop options and make your choice.

Downloadable copies of our: Visit Terms & Conditions, Education Visit Risk Assessment Information Sheet, and Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy are all available at the bottom of this page.

Before you visit

Before you bring a group of young people to the Centre it might be appropriate to offer three 'briefings' to best prepare them for their experience.  This will depend upon their age and ability, but you might think about;

1.  Weeks or months ahead.  

Give your students advance notice of the date of the visit in plenty of time to let them prepare for their experience.

Offer the Centre's website address so that they can begin to learn more about what they will find here.

Set some research tasks relating to the history of computing.

Set some investigative tasks relating to the use of computers among family and community.

Set some tasks relating to the computer games older relatives played in the past.

Gather some older examples of computer tech in the classroom and explore their function.

We strongly recommend you make a preliminary visit to the Centre to familiarise yourself with the collection, galleries and geographic location. The pre-visit you make can help clarify your learning objectives and also support your visit risk assessment.  Our education visit risk assessment information sheet can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

2. Two weeks before the visit.

Review any research undertaken by the students from the previous tasks. 

Now it is time to give the students a focus for their visit.  Are their specific questions that you want them to explore or what they wish to ask? You can email these to the Centre prior to the visit, so we can do our homework and find some answers!

How do you want them to gather evidence from their visit?  They might use smart phones, tablets, cameras and audio recording devices to help them come away with evidence of what they have seen.  What they choose to take photographs of may be dependent upon their interests, but some should be because you have asked them to look out for specific examples that support their learning of a particular part of their course or curriculum.  The Centre cannot take any responsibility for equipment that students or the school brings with them.  Please take extra special care with valuable resources.

Of course having a pen/pencil and notebook might be helpful too!

You may give each of your students a worksheet to bring with them, that asks specific questions and prompts them to record information. Please send us a copy of the worksheet in advance so we can focus more on the priorities for your students.

3. The week or days before the visit 

The final briefing and of course lots of practical points to make, including;

• date, time and point of departure
• approximate time and point of return
• phone/mobile numbers of your school in the event of an incident requiring attention
• phone numbers for parents if you are late in returning
• any special health needs that require medication
• a first aid kit and person named as responsible
• who is the visit 'leader' and the names of the other supervising adults
• a final reminder of the learning objectives and who is taking what tech
• bring something to write with and notepaper!
• health and safety issues for the coach and at the Centre

In the Autumn and Winter the main gallery can feel cold. Make sure the students are dressed appropriately.

A short period (typically 20-25 mins) will be dedicated to lunch, ensure students bring with them a suitable lunch.

The Centre cafe sells hot and cold drinks and some snacks like chocolate bars, but nothing suitable for a lunch break.   

As well as refreshments there is also a small gift shop and students may wish to bring a small amount of money with them.

Behaviour

We would ask you to brief the students about their behaviour whilst at the Centre.  The vast majority of our visiting students behave appropriately at the Centre, but it is worth reminding them that;

• As their teacher (and other supervising adults), they remain responsible for the students' behaviour.
• Students must give their attention to the Centre presenters, be directed by them and act with respect.
• Always take great care to observe notices and any directions given to them, especially around equipment connected and powered by mains electricity.
• Respect the items within the collection, especially those they can touch and use.  They are heritage items and the Centre is required as part of its objectives, to conserve such items to the best of its ability.
• Respect any other volunteers, school groups and members of the public who might be on site during their visit.
• In line with our visit terms and conditions, should the Centre staff feel that the behaviour of visiting students threatens the safety of others or potential damage to the collection or building, then the visiting group may be required to leave the premises with immediate effect. Our visit terms and conditions can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

On the day of your visit

Do please have at hand the contact number for the Centre as you travel to us.  Upon setting out for the Centre, should any details of your booking be different, then please phone the Centre to inform us.  This is especially true for changes in the number of students attending, supervising adults , estimated time of arrival and departure from the Centre, students with special access requirements. 

Why not download and print the PDF directions to get to us' and give them to your coach or minibus driver.

If we have asked you to break down your group into smaller subsets for rotating around learning zones, do please save time by making these subsets known to the students before they arrive at the Centre.

Remind your supervising adults that the group may be divided down into smaller sets and that they must distribute themselves among the sets and that one of them must be with any subset of the group at all times.

Do please ask the 'visit leader' to make themselves known to the Centre staff at the point of arrival.  Any new information or changes to the programme can be communicated at that point.

Your involvement as a teacher

We welcome your involvement and contributions during your students' visit to the Centre.

You may wish to:

• direct your students at particular displays or objects at times,
• direct your students to make particular notes, take photographs or ask questions,
• help 'break their silence' if they are a little shy in asking questions,
• contribute to the presentation with your own knowledge and understanding,
• reinforce specific points that support your curriculum or course specifications,
• support Centre staff in gaining the students' attention, cooperation and appropriate behaviour.

Safeguarding and

Child Protection Policy

Education visit risk assessment

information sheet

Visit Terms and

Conditions