Hopetown Darlington includes a railway museum, exhibitions, festivals, events, café and shop, a railway-themed outdoor adventure playpark, a state-of-the-art immersive time travel experience and the chance to view live engineering in action.

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What We Offer Visiting Schools:

School visits include a led workshop associated to the Stockton & Darlington Railway and Darlington’s railway history, time in North Road Station Museum and The Stores to view our 30,000 item collection and a visit to Wagon Woods adventure play park!

Why Choose Us for an Educational Visit:

Beautiful early railway buildings provide learning in context as well as state of the art experiences. Bring your topic to life with our range of led and practical STEM workshops and delve into Darlington’s railway heritage to get hands-on with historical objects. Early Years children can explore North Road Station Museum with play-based activities.

Subjects and Topics Covered:

The Stockton & Darlington Railway

Discover key knowledge about the Stockton & Darlington Railway within the immersive environment of North Road Station Museum

STEM Electricity and the Railways

Taking inspiration from our collection of lamps, telegraphy, communication & signalling equipment, join us for hands-on activities to see how they were used on the railways

Travelling on the Railway

Taking inspiration from the book ‘Faster, Faster Little Red Train!’ by Benedict Blathwayt, we take a playful approach to exploring North Road Station Museum and taking the train.

Accreditation and Awards:

VisitEngland Welcome Award

VisitEngland Quality Assured Visitor Attraction

Group Sizes Catered For:

Up to 75 students per group with a minimum of three accompanying adults

Itineraries, Resources, and Workshops:

Package one

What you get:

• Led workshop (1 hour)
• Self guided time (1 hour)
• Self Guided Time in The Stores (30 mins)
• Lunch space (30 minutes indoors)
• Time in Wagon Woods play area (45 mins)

Package two (coming soon!)

What you get:

• Led workshop (1 hour)
• Experiment! experience – include self guided time in North Road Station Museum (1 hour 45 mins)
• Self Guided Time in The Stores (30 mins)
• Lunch space (30 minutes indoors)
• Time in Wagon Woods play area (45 mins)

Loans boxes – Containing a selection of genuine artefacts, photographs and documents, with the occasional replica item, loan boxes bring immersive resources to the classroom. Hire of loans boxes costs £35 for a term.

Risk Assessment:

Hopetown Risk Assessment

Education Department Information:

Sarah Gouldsbrough, Learning & Access Officer, sarah.gouldsbrough@darlington.gov.uk

Eleanor Smith, Learning & Engagement Assistant, eleanor.smith@darlington.gov.uk

Pricing Information:

PACKAGE ONE

The cost is £4 per pupil

The cost for Darlington schools is £2 per pupil for all of Key Stage 1 and children in Key Stages 2 & 3 who qualify for free school meals

PACKAGE TWO

The cost is £7.50 per pupil

The cost for Darlington schools is £5.50 per pupil for all of Key Stage 1 and children in Key Stages 2 & 3 who qualify for free school meals

Facilities:

Inside North Road Station Museum we have two learning spaces for school groups to use and a refreshment room is available to eat packed lunches, if required. There are additional picnic areas outside the museum. Hopetown Darlington is an open space with a secured perimeter, so children can explore all of our open spaces without leaving site.

Accessibility and Disabled Facilities:

https://www.hopetowndarlington.co.uk/plan-your-visit/access/

Opening Hours:

Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm. School visits welcome to visit Tuesday to Friday, 10am-3pm.