You are welcome to get in touch with us with any questions you have, but we have also put together these answers to our most frequently asked questions for you to look through.
How long do the school workshops last?
We usually provide full day workshops but can also offer half days depending on geographical location. Shorter sessions may be available for community groups etc., so if you are interested in this please contact us.
A full day session usually begins around 9.30am and runs until around 3pm or 15 minutes before home time. We work around the school’s existing break and lunchtime and fit our activities to suit your day.
What space do we need?
We usually recommend using the school hall or gym for the majority of the day. Especially for larger groups, this gives us plenty of space for activities and to set up the display. We can work around lunch or break times and use the classroom/s for some sessions to allow for lunch setup and clear up. If the hall is unavailable, please let us know and we can work around it. If the weather is good we may be able to take some sessions outside, but this is at the discretion of the visitor on the day
How many children can participate at once?
For LKS2 we recommend up to 60 children in one group, and for UKS2 we can take up to 90 children in one group. We try to keep the group together for most of the day but may split them up for some activities (provided) which can be teacher-led in the classroom. For 90+ children we would recommend two days of workshops. In some cases we may be able to send two visitors for one large day. We cannot take more than 60 children in a half day due to the time it takes to hand artefacts around etc.
How many visitors will be coming?
Our activities are designed to be run by one or two people, with the assistance of teachers/TAs. We can organise larger events with more visitors on request.
Are you DBS checked?
All our visitors hold an enhanced DBS check.
It is not a legal requirement for a one-off visitor to a school to show the school their DBS. According to the Government guidelines on safeguarding in schools, Marvellous History staff are not carrying out a regulated activity, nor do we expect to be left in charge of children unsupervised.
We are however happy to provide written confirmation of DBS status to the school in advance of the visit.
Are you insured?
We are fully insured for up to £10 million Public Liability.
How much does it cost?
Prices depend on your location and the number of children. Prices quoted include all travel, materials, any applicable ULEZ, CAZ or congestion charges and VAT, and there are no hidden or additional costs payable, except occasionally if the school has no parking facilities and our visitors have to pay for public parking, or if a congestion type charge is payable on the day that wasn’t expected at the time of the quote. For a personalised, no obligation quote, then please contact us.
How do we pay?
We will send an invoice upon confirmation of booking. We ask for payment within 30 days of the invoice date, although this can be extended under some circumstances. We may also ask for a deposit to secure the booking. Payment can be made by cheque, card or BACS.
What topics will be covered?
Activities are designed to develop an understanding of concepts such as chronology, culture, historical enquiry, beliefs, morals and ethics, and can tie into other areas of the curriculum. We also schedule discussion and question time to encourage investigation and questioning skills.
More information on each of the workshops we provide can be found on their individual pages through the top menu. For a general day we tend to provide a good overview of the period in question, but we can always run specific activities if you have a topic that you are using as a focus. For example, we designed an Anglo Saxon law court activity for a school who wanted to compare morals and ethics between Anglo Saxon times and now. As long as we have some notice we can develop activities to suit any topic focus.
We will discuss your content requirements with you when you book and will provide a timetable or overview of the day so that you can agree in advance what will be covered.
Is it interactive?
We aim to make our days as active as possible and workshops may include drama, role play, games, artefact handling, or craft activities. The days are run on a modular basis with the possibility of covering around 6 – 10 topics in a day, depending on how in-depth you would like each activity to be. Each module has a hands-on element to keep the children engaged – we try to avoid too much “standing at the front and talking”.
We try to make sure that no single activity runs for more than 30-45 minutes to keep concentration levels high. Within activities there are often several parts so that children are not expected to be sitting still for more than 15 minutes at a time.
Does the teacher need to be there?
YES! Please do not expect us to supervise the group alone. We require a minimum of 2 supervising adults from the school in the room at any time, or 3 for groups over 60. Although we are DBS checked, we should not be left alone in charge of the group at any point so please do not schedule PPA time or meetings during the workshop. Additionally, if the teacher is not present then they will not know what has been covered in the workshop, making it impossible to plan meaningful follow-up work.
We often get feedback from teachers telling us how much they learned in our workshops! If you are not in the room you are missing out on valuable information that can help with effective planning and teaching in future years.
What else is needed for the day?
We are fairly self-sufficient! We only need:
- Hall or other large space
- A parking space (preferably as close to the hall as possible)
- Some help to unload and load, especially if the hall is distant from the parking area.
- Some tables to set up the display
- Somewhere to change
- An escort if your safeguarding policy doesn’t allow us to move around the school alone
- Tea & coffee (very important!)
In some circumstances we might need a few extra things, but they will always be something you’d expect to have anyway such as paper or crayons, and we will always let you know ahead of the workshop so you can be ready.
What happens in case of emergency?
Should something befall your visitor on the morning of the workshop that means they are unable to attend, we will reschedule the day as soon as possible. If the visitor is unable to run the workshop for any reason (e.g. illness) and we are aware before the date of the workshop then we will attempt to cover the date with another person, but if we cannot (i.e. no other specialist is available on that date) then we will re-book the workshop for the earliest suitable date.
If the school is closed for any reason beyond your control, e.g. snow, then you need to let us know immediately and we will aim to reschedule. If the visitor has already left home then there may be an additional transport charge to cover the wasted journey. If the workshop has already started when the closure occurs (e.g. closing at lunchtime due to heavy snow), then the full cost of the workshop remains payable and will not be rescheduled.
What if the school has to cancel?
If you cancel more than one month ahead of the workshop there will be no charge. Between one month and 14 days a cancellation charge of 50% of the cost of the workshop will be payable. Cancellation within 14 days of the workshop will attract a cancellation charge equal to the cost of the workshop. This is to ensure that dates are not cancelled at the last minute which could have been used by another school.
We would always rather reschedule than cancel, and it is possible to choose another topic to replace the one you had originally booked. For example, if you had booked a Viking day at the end of the topic but have to cancel, you could always use that booking to schedule e.g. a Tudor day with another year group, which would save the cancellation charge.
What if something goes wrong on the day?
We have built our reputation on providing high-quality, professionally run workshops to schools for over 10 years. If you are not satisfied with your workshop for any reason however, then please contact us and allow us to remedy the situation. Our clients’ happiness is paramount and if you are in anyway disappointed with our service then we need to know! All customer feedback is important to us and allows us to improve our service year on year.
How do I book?
Simply contact us for a personalised quote and to discuss your requirements!