• Bookings must be made at least 14 days before the date of your visit.  
• We are unable to take provisional bookings.
• If you contact us with a possible date, we can discuss availability and take your details, but please note that your booking is not confirmed until you have received written confirmation from Birmingham Museums Trust.
• Groups arriving at the museum without a confirmed booking may be refused entry.

• The invoice for your confirmed booking will be issued 14 days before the date of your visit.
• Payment is required within 30 days of the receipt of your invoice.  
• Once invoices have been paid, they are non-refundable.

• Please notify us of any changes to your group numbers as soon as possible.  
• Please note that no significant changes can be made to your group numbers or invoice within 14 days of the date of your visit.  
• If there are exceptional circumstances (e.g. new children joining your school within the 14 day window) please get in touch and we will assess whether we are able to accommodate changes on a case-by-case basis.  

• Your booking has a cancellation period of 30 days in advance of the date of your booking. If you cancel outside of this period, you will not be charged.  
• If you cancel your booking within 30 days of the date of your visit, you will be charged the full cost of the booked visit.
• If your group does not arrive on the day of your booked visit and you have not contacted us at least 30 days in advance to reschedule, you may be charged the full cost of the booked visit.

• Birmingham Museums Trust reserves the right to cancel or alter the schedule of a booking due to unforeseen circumstances.
• If we are unable to deliver your workshop or show due to unforeseen circumstances, we will notify you as soon as possible and amend your itinerary accordingly. You will be refunded for these sessions.  
• You will be advised in writing as early as possible; you may request a refund or reschedule your booking. Birmingham Museums Trust does not accept liability for any additional costs incurred. 

• If it is your first time visiting the museum, we strongly recommend that a member of your teaching staff carries out a pre-visit.
• Pre-visits must be booked in advance by contacting the bookings team.
• Proof of teacher status (School ID badge) must be shown at the ticket desk on entry.
• Pre-visits are available during public opening hours (please see the website for the museum you will be visiting for details).

There is currently no shop at Aston Hall. 

• This risk assessment does not cover any time spent away from the site. We strongly suggest you visit us beforehand.
• Download the school risk assessment in the 'Downloads' section below.

• All visitors must wear appropriate footwear when visiting Aston Hall. The house has historic floors, with some wooden panels having a slippery surface and an uneven tread. It is advisable that flat footwear be worn.
• Aston Hall becomes very cold between October and March. Please ensure pupils arrive in appropriate clothing for the lower temperatures. Coats will need to be worn in the house.

• School Trips can be overwhelming. Our sensory bags are a great resource to support the experience of neurodivergent students with sensory needs.
• The bags contains a range of resources such as fidget toys, a magnifying glass, ear defenders and interactive picture books to help keep pupils engaged and calm during their visit. (See photos below).
• Please ask your Learning Officer at the beginning of your trip if you would like a sensory bag for one of your pupils.

• For health and safety reasons, we require a minimum of:
  • For Foundation and Key Stage 1 groups a minimum of 1 adult to every 6 children is required.
  • For Key Stage 2 and over a minimum of 1 adult for every 10 children is required.
• A failure to meet these ratios may result in your session being cancelled upon arrival at the hall.

• School groups should arrive 15 minutes before the start of their first taught session. This will allow for pupils to disembark from the coach, drop off lunch bags and visit the toilets.
• Late arrival may result in your taught sessions being shortened. Sessions may not be carried over due to other groups visiting.

• Coaches are welcome to drop pupils off by the chain link fence at the front of the main house.
• If the coach is staying for the duration of the visit, it must not block the chain link fence as this is an emergency access area.
• Free coach and mini-bus parking is available at the front of Aston Hall.

School groups will be met by the Learning Officer by the North Lodge by the chain link fence at the front of the main house. They will then be welcomed and admitted to the site.

• We are a small heritage site and have no designated lunch area, however one class can have lunch in the classroom on site. There is no café onsite.
• Groups may picnic on the grass, weather permitting. Groups should be adequately supervised at lunchtimes.

• There is not a dedicated school cloakroom but teachers and students may leave their belongings in the classroom which is a secure space, but it is recommended to keep high value items on you at all times.

• General visitor toilets are available in the Stable block, which includes an accessible toilet (a key must be collected from the main reception for access to this).
• Toilets are also available in the main house, but we do ask that all children use the toilets before the taught session to avoid disruption.

• Photography is permitted.
• We request that you take photos without flash to help us protect our historic artefacts.
• If you are taking photographs in your taught session please let the Learning Officer know.

• To ensure that everyone has a safe, enjoyable visit, we ask that all groups follow these guidelines:
• You are responsible for the supervision and conduct of pupils in your group at all times (including during any workshops or shows).  
• It is important that pupils are never left unattended or allowed to wander around the building alone.
• Severely disruptive behaviour may lead to the group being asked to leave the museum.
• Please show respect to our staff, our exhibits and other visitors in the museum.
• Please keep all mobile phones in bags or pockets during workshops and theatre/planetarium shows.
• We strongly recommend that if your school has a uniform, it should be worn on the day of your visit to the museum. If your students will not be wearing a uniform, please ensure that they are wearing something that makes them easily identifiable as being part of your group (e.g. lanyard, branded high-vis vest etc.)
• Please do not run in the museum.
• Please only eat or drink in the designated packed lunch or café area – food and drink are not allowed in other areas of the museum.
• We request that groups use the stairs if they are able, to enable those with access requirements to use our lifts quickly and easily.
• Please do not climb on the exhibits.

• Please arrive at the location of your booked workshop or show on time.  
• If you arrive at the location of your workshop up to 15 minutes late, we will endeavour to deliver the session, but it may have to be shortened.  
• Regrettably, if you arrive more than 15 minutes late to the location of your booked workshop or show, you will forfeit that session as the learning officer delivering your session will have other sessions immediately afterwards which they will need to be on time for.
• We expect adult helpers with your group to actively participate in our workshops. 

• If your group has access needs, including SEND requirements, please tell us as early as possible so we can discuss what may be available on the day.
• Our workshops and shows can be adapted to accommodate a variety of needs – a call can be arranged with a member of our learning team ahead of your visit to discuss any access needs or adaptations which may be required. If would like to arrange a call, please contact the bookings team.
• Disabled access is available to some areas of Aston Hall. However, as a Grade I listed building we have been unable to install a lift within the main house. Therefore those in wheelchairs will be unable to access the upper floors of the house.
• Visit our accessibility information page on our website for further details.