• 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 Thinktank 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.

• Please ensure you have read the information on this page before you visit.
• If it is your first time visiting Thinktank, 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.

• Download our hazard information sheet to create your own risk assessment for your visit and our facilitated session risk assessment for your trip to Thinktank. 
  Documents can be found in the 'Downloads' section below.

• Goody bags are available to pre-order and can either be paid for on the day or via invoice to your school. We can prepare your own individual goody bags.
• For more details and to pre-order your bags download the goody bag order form (found in the 'Downloads' section below) and send this to EducationBookings@BirminghamMuseums.org.uk and Shop@birminghammuseums.org.uk

• If your group would like to visit the shop, this must be booked in advance through the bookings team and added to your itinerary.  
• A maximum of 60 pupils may visit the shop at one time.
• Alternatively, goody bags are available to pre-order through the bookings team.

• Thinktank is open from 10.00am.
• Thinktank is closed to the public on Mondays but still open for school visits. We are open to the public and schools the rest of the week.
• Please note that Thinktank's cafe is closed on Mondays.
• Thinktank also closes at 2.30pm each Monday.

• You will be given an itinerary on arrival.  
• Your itinerary will include:
  • A mandatory health and safety briefing on arrival  
  • Your allocated 30 minute lunch slot in our lunch area on Level 2
  • Time to explore our galleries
  • Any workshops or shows that you have booked  
• Please follow your confirmed itinerary throughout the day to help your group have a smooth and enjoyable visit.  
• Please note that space in our lunch area is limited and there may not be space for your group outside of your allocated time slot.
• We unfortunately cannot accommodate requests for additional sessions or changes to booked workshops or shows on the day of your visit.
• Please note that the Science Garden is closed during the first half of Spring term for winter maintenance.

• For health and safety reasons, we require a minimum of:
  • 1 adult to every 10 children for KS2/KS3/KS4 groups
  • 1 adult to every 6 children for preschool and KS1 groups.  
• We reserve the right to refuse entry if your group does not meet the required supervision ratio.

• The designated coach drop-off point is on Jennens Road  (B4 7XR) in front of the Birmingham Conservatoire building (behind Millennium Point). If you are travelling by coach, please advise your driver to drop you off and pick you up here. There is no parking or waiting on Jennens Road and Curzon Street is no longer accessible to vehicles.
• The walking route from the Jennens Road  coach drop-off point into the Level 2 entrance of Millennium Point (this is the level you will enter Thinktank on) is shown further below.
• Please ensure that you know the numbers in your group before your arrival at Thinktank.
• Please arrive at our Group Entrance on Level 2 of Millennium Point, where our team will be waiting to greet you.  
• You must arrive at Thinktank at least 30 minutes before your first booked workshop or show so that there is time for registration, cloakroom use, toilets and the required health and safety briefing.  
• You will be welcomed by a member of staff, who will sign you in, deliver your group briefing and facilitate use of the cloakroom.  
• Your arrival time includes the required health and safety briefing. If you arrive late, you will forfeit the itinerary up to that point.  
• If you are running late, please notify our bookings team on 0121 348 8001.
• If you arrive after 11:00am, we may not be able to admit your group.
• If you travel by car you will be expected to pay the car parking charges for the Birmingham City Council multi-storey car park.

• The packed lunch area and toilets are located on Level 2 just inside the Group Entrance. There are also toilets on all floors.
• You will have a designated storage rail with your group’s name on it. All coats, bags and lunches can be left on these rails and you will be able to return to them at any time.  
• Please note: All items are left at owners’ risk, therefore, please encourage your group not to bring any valuables.  
• Thinktank does not have refrigerated facilities for storing lunches.  
• You must contact us if you intend to arrange an external lunch delivery.
• There is a café at Thinktank which is open during our main opening times, see the café page for menu information.

• School toilets and disabled toilets are avilable on all levels.

• 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.
• Sessions cannot be extended, moved later or carried over due to other groups and activities in the museum.
• We expect adult helpers with your group to actively participate in our workshops.
• On occasions, your school may share their theatre show with another school. To help every group enjoy their visit, we ask you to arrive outside the Theatre to be on time for your show.

Classrooms

• There are four dedicated classroom spaces: two fully equipped for general use; one for KS1 use; and one science laboratory.

Theatre

• Some science shows take place in the Theatre.
• This is a large room with seating for 180 people. Raked, fold down seats are accessed by steps down from the Theatre entrance on Level 3.
• There is an accessible viewing platform in the Theatre, at the top.
• For some shows it may be possible for visitors with accessibility requirements to sit on the ‘stage’ at the bottom of the Theatre, where health and safety considerations allow.
• Please look at the Education Groups Social Story for more details and a photograph of the Theatre.

• Photography is permitted.
• If you are taking photographs in your taught session please let the Learning and Engagement 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 Thinktank.
• 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 Thinktank. 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.
• In the unlikely event of a fire, an alarm will sound and staff will direct you to the nearest fire exit. Please follow signage down the stairs to exit at the back of building, heading round to the left and emerging by the science garden. The fire assembly point is on the grass in front of Millennium Point.

• If your group has access needs, including SEND requirements, please notify 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 notify our bookings team.
• We have a number of resources available on our website which can be  helpful resources to prepare your pupils (particularly those with SEND) for their visit, including:
   
  • A education group social story.
  • A 360 online tour.
  • A sensory map (including audio description).
  • Downloadable picture and symbol cards.
• Visit our accessibility information page on our website for further details: