Thank you for making an Educational booking with Martineau Gardens. Here are some instructions to help you to plan your visit for a safe and memorable learning experience.
To download a copy of the information below, click here: Terms-conditions April 21
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR EDUCATION SCHOOL VISITS
- FREE PRE-VISITS
Teachers are welcome to conduct a pre visit at any time during the Gardens’ opening hours, Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Saturdays by prior arrangement.)
- ARRIVAL AND COACH INSTRUCTIONS
Please put your expected time of arrival on your booking form.
Our car park is small, so we request that following drop-off, school coaches need to park off-site and are not permitted to stay in the car park. Large coaches may struggle to get through the gates, and for safety should arrive facing down Priory Road so pupils can alight by the gates. (There is a roundabout at the top of Priory road to facilitate this. Note traffic cannot turn into Priory Road from Bristol Road.)
Minibuses and cars are permitted to park in the car park if space allows.
- LUNCH STORAGE/PROVISION
Lunches may be stored in public spaces so it is important that you do not leave valuables with lunch bags. Please note the Gardens cannot accept liability for loss or damage to belongings left on site so we recommend that you keep valuables with you at all times.
Our education programme is delivered in two parts. It is best to have your groups planned before you arrive. We recommend that groups bring lunches with minimal packaging, as you will be asked to take your rubbish back to school due to limited refuse/recycling facilities on site. A bucket will be provided for any compostable food waste (e.g. fruit core or peel). We can provide teachers with hot drinks. Please ask the Visitor Welcome Volunteer on duty for assistance. In hot weather, we recommend that schools bring at least two drinks per pupil. Groups may choose to eat lunch outside in the Gardens and are permitted to eat anywhere on the lawns or the many benches provided.
- TOILETS
Please note that toilets are a public space so teachers must ensure that pupils are supervised for safety reasons. Martineau Gardens staff and volunteers are not permitted to supervise children in the toilets. Please ensure that pupils leave the toilets in a tidy state for other visitors to use.
- CLOTHING
Please ensure that pupils are suitably dressed for the visit with appropriate footwear. In hot weather parts of the Gardens are exposed and we recommend that children wear hats and have their shoulders covered. Please note that only extreme weather conditions will disrupt our activities.
- HEALTH & SAFETY
Please ensure that you brief your pupils about key risks before the visit. Schools are reminded to carry out a risk assessment pertaining to your group. There should always be a first aider on site, but it is prudent for schools to bring a first aider also. We will tell you about any maintenance or emergency repairs known to be taking place on site on the day of your visit. A first aid box is kept at reception, as is the accident book in which to record all incidents taking place on site. (We would appreciate notification of any near-misses to inform future risk assessments.) Please ensure you inform us via the booking form of any bee allergies, and of plant or nut allergies that could affect handling any seeds and plants during the visit.
Please read and download our risk assessment from our website: https://martineau-gardens.org.uk/education/schools/school-visits-forms-and-documents/
- SITE MOVEMENT
The Gardens will be open to the public during your visit. We ask that pupils move around the site in single file by walking behind the activity leader, with a designated adult at the rear of the line.
- HYGIENE
An activity may include touching and sampling produce. Outside of this supervised experience, we ask for your co-operation in ensuring that pupils do not eat anything they find on site and that they wash their hands before eating lunch or a snack.
- BEHAVIOUR
Martineau Gardens is an independent charity, offering free entry for visitors who come to enjoy a beautiful and tranquil haven in the heart of Birmingham. School pupils are warmly welcomed and will enjoy the varied areas to explore in the Gardens. We would ask that to respect the needs of all visitors that pupils keep noise to a minimum. Please ensure that your pupils are supervised at all times including in the playground, in the toilets and at lunchtimes. Please ensure that your school complies with your Local Authority’s recommendations for adult to pupil ratios.
- CANCELLATION
Your booking form is a contract between the school and the Gardens to an agreed date and time. If you cancel your visit within a 4-week period of the visit date, we regret that we will still have to invoice you, unless we have been able to fill the date with another school. If we do manage to re-fill your date, no charge will be made. We are very reluctant to do this; however, as a small charity we are unable to sustain the loss of income late cancellations cause.
If you cancel your visit more than 4 weeks before the visit date and rebook for another date, then no additional charge will be made.
- PAYMENT
We will invoice your school for the full amount soon after your visit, with payment due within 30 days. If you would like us to invoice prior to your visit, then please let us know.
Date: April 2021