Opening Times

The Museum opening times are April, September and October - Wednesday, Saturday and Sundays from 12noon to 5pm, May to August - Wednesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 5pm and November to March - Wednesday and Sunday 12noon to 5pm. Group visits are available from Tuesday to Friday throughout the year and from 10am. Earlier starts and Dawn Chorus/Bat Walks can be organised either side of the main daytime visit periods

What makes this a great venue for School group Fun or Educational Visits?

Bracken Hall Museum is situated next to Shipley Glen and Baildon Moor. Shipley Glen is a grass and wooded stream valley which is species rich and contains a clean stream and local reservoir of importance. Baildon Moor is a high, 282m, grass moorland with open access wide view of the district. It contains evidence of coal mining, road metalling, many archaeological features and billions of 300m ya fossils locked in accessible marine band shales and muds

What are the Curriculum Topics or Benefit to the students from a visit?

Geography - KS 1, 2, 3 & 4, Art & Design - KS1, 2, 3 & 4

What are the activities?

Stream dipping and ID, pond dipping and ID, Grass, moor and woodland pootering and ID, fossil hunting, ID and collection, Shipley Glen site and valley transect studies, stream dip survey, soil and rock sampling, watercolour and poster paint painting, working with crayons, pastel, chalks and charcoal, waste, recycled, same and mixed natural media sculpture work - the latter left on display for others to enjoy and for it to naturally breakdown and return back into its landscape

What is the age range of the activities?

ALL

Sample programme of the activities:

10am - arrive and welcome, H&S talk, toilet visit, put on wellies, collect equipment, medication needed CHECK. Leave museum for walk through grassland and woodland to stream habitat, observing plants and all wildlife enroute. Group is tutored how to Stream dip correctly and carefully, group stream dips and as a group we identify the specimens caught in the nets provided using ID sheets provided. The specimens found are carefully released back to their habitats, we pack our equipment up and return to the musem on the same or different path identifying plants and animals as we go and any other feature of the visit area. 12 noon - return to museum, wellies off, shoes on and wash up in the basins provided, Lunchtime and musem/shop visit. PM activities - collect equipment for group, explain 'pootering' and lead group to start of the afternoon activity - grass, moor and woodland pootering and ID. With care - capture, identification, record, release to capture site, move on and repeat. This continues through the three dry land habitats and all can be compared to the stream/wet habitat individually or as a whole to compare species, variety, health of habitat etc. Return to museum with pooters, wash up, collect personal belongings and worksheets and leave for school/home.

What materials to you provide or suggest groups bring to support the visit?

All equipment, stationary, worksheets and identification sheets and books are provided by the museum. The school might want to support their visit by bringing visit workbooks/folders. Copies of all the worksheets/ID sheets used are available as copies for all students and staff.

What are the minimum and maximum group sizes and the free Teacher Ratio?

The minimum is one and the maximum size per group is 35. Any larger and the group will be split into two smaller groups with both the museums and the schools staff involved in delivering the activities This will be discussed at the pre-visit

Do you have or how do you arrange risk assessment?

We have risk assessments for all of our activities and they have been done from OUR perspective. All visiting groups will as part of a pre-visit, visit the areas of interest and linked to their chosen activities and the groups staff will then be able to write theirs for their group

Do you offer Teacher familiarisation days?

Yes, all teachers must come on a pre-visit where the topics are discussed and the activity areas visited to familiarise the groups staff with the whole area. Teachers will then be able to organise a more thorough Risk assessment from this visit

What facilities are there for school groups for food and drink, shop etc?

We have a classroom, our Shop sells icecreams and there is a cafe situated 200m away for food and cold and hot drinks

Is specific clothing required?

No, but depending on the topic a pair of walking boots or wellingtons, towel and spare pair of socks will be useful. Students and all staff are expected to come dressed in suitable attire so if it is raining, coats and or cagoules, wellies and/or boots

Do you have first aid on site?

Yes and kits are carried by museum staff on all of the activities chosen

Are there any restrictions on photos, copyright etc?

Photography within the museum is controlled by an agreement which must be completed before taking any photographs