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Plan your visit

School visits

The museum is keen to collaborate with schools to ensure that visits are useful and meaningful for everyone involved. Tours of the museum can be tailored to suit particular curriculum themes and may be combined with activities in the community rooms for a varied and engaging learning experience.

You can find a summary of what you can see in the museum here.

Sessions

We currently offer support for the following topics:

  • Railway
  • Local History (Victorians)
  • Trade & Industry
  • Tudors (with workshop led by author Rosemary Griggs, subject to availability)
  • Inventions

Use the form to start planning your visit

Visit options

We aim to be as flexible as possible in how your group can experience the museum. You can choose from the following types of visit:

  • A self-guided visit with activity sheets provided by the school
  • A self-guided visit with activity sheets provided by the museum
  • A guided tour of the museum, which could include an overview of all sections, a look at ‘Star Objects’, or a more focused session on a specific area
  • A self-guided visit combined with a workshop
  • A guided tour followed by a workshop

If you’d like to use a community room for lunch or to run your own activities, this is usually possible, but subject to availability. Please let us know in advance if you would like to reserve a space.

Workshops with Brick Ideas

Schools and children’s groups may also want to take advantage of our partnership with Brick Ideas, who deliver hands-on workshops using LEGO to explore museum-related topics. These workshops are interactive and creative, and can be themed around trains, bridges, or wartime history.

A typical 2-hour workshop in the museum on trains, bridges, or First and Second World War tanks costs £125.00. Other themes or timings can also be discussed. Please use the enquiry form below to get in touch and begin planning.

Please note that visits to the museum are free. However, there may be a charge for workshops and outreach activities.

Safeguarding, supervision and behaviour

Newton Abbot Museum is a public building, open to all. We ask that adult group leaders remain with their pupils at all times to ensure their safety, wellbeing and appropriate behaviour.

Supervision ratios

We ask for the following minimum ratios of responsible adults to students:

  • Foundation stage – 1:3
  • Key Stage 1 – 1:6
  • Key Stage 2 – 1:6
  • Key Stage 3 – 1:10
  • Key Stage 4 – 1:15
  • Post-16 (AS/A2) – 1:15
  • Over-18s – 1 responsible adult per group
  • SEND – 1:5

Risk assessments

We recommend that teachers or group leaders visit the museum in advance to carry out a risk assessment. If you would like guidance or information to help you complete this, please contact us directly.

Outreach

As well as welcoming schools to the museum, our Community Outreach Officer may be able to visit your school. Charges may apply for outreach sessions – please get in touch to discuss your requirements.

Resources

A variety of downloadable worksheets and activity packs are available to support your visit. You can access them from our resources page.

Please note that teachers and accompanying adults are responsible for the health and safety of their group and should always remain with pupils while in Newton’s Place and during any emergency evacuations.

School Visit Booking Form

Fill out the form below and a member of the team will be in touch.

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