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  • educational-visits
  1. Visit
  2. Educational Visits
  3. Educational visits

Educational visits

School visits

We love welcoming schools and groups to Wheal Martyn. We aim to provide engaging, fun and memorable museum visits that support the National Curriculum for EYFS right through to university level. 

A day out at Wheal Martyn is great value and includes a guided tour, an Education Officer led workshop and time to explore the museum and woodland setting.   

Boys dressing up as minersLearning at Wheal Martyn can bring a subject to life. We aim to broaden pupils’ experiences and contextualise learning by immersing them in their heritage; we offer a new, out-of-classroom environment, with objects, artefacts, stories, historic buildings and beautiful woodlands, helping to build your pupils’ cultural capital.

We offer school sessions with activities that deliver a range of curriculum outcomes, including: Local History and Geography studies; Science and STEM challenges (including CREST Awards and a STEM Ambassador); English and Arts (including Arts Award)

You can find all the information here to plan your visit. For all enquiries, contact our Education Officer.

Home education visits

  • Visit under your own steam as a family. We can offer some worksheets and suggested activities to help you to make the most of your visit.
  • Alternatively, join one of our sessions. Find out more and book here.children reading at Wheal Martyn

Outreach sessions

If a school visit is not possible, we can help you with an outreach session: our Education Officer can come to your school and deliver a workshop or assembly. 

Universities

Planning a university group visit? We can provide a guided tour and a ‘pit view’ experience.

Work experience

We can support students with work experience placements or volunteering opportunities, offering a taste of working life in a museum.

Planning your visit to Wheal Martyn:

Facilities and access

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Coats and bags

Our new learning space has coat pegs and lockable bag storage. Valuables are left at the owner’s risk.

Toilets

There are three sets of toilets, two of which are fully accessible. There is a set of toilets on the floor beneath the learning space, with access by stair or lift.

Lunch

Schools and groups can use the learning space for their lunch break, with easy access to their coats and bags and toilets.  There is also a lovely picnic area in the woods for an alfresco lunch, with direct access to the challenge trail to let off some steam!

Disabled access and special educational needs

The museum, learning space and much of the site is accessible for people with disabilities or limited mobility. Please be aware that some areas include steps and steep climbs – these routes are in the woodland area around the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

We warmly welcome groups with special educational needs and can provide a quiet space, an area for rest or lunch, and even opening times to suit.  Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Shop and café

The shop and café are open daily from 10.00am. The shop has a range of educational items, books and pocket money gifts. We request that groups are supervised in the shop.

The café can cater for large groups for lunch with pre-order menus available on request. 

Published: 19th February, 2020

Updated: 27th February, 2020

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Getting here

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Grants for school transport

Cornwall Heritage Trust may give financial support for transport to enable schools to make visits to heritage sites or undertake visits that have a purpose of developing awareness and appreciation of Cornish heritage.

Parking

There is a large coach parking area to the right of the main drive as you enter the site.  Coaches can drop you safely there and you can enter via the main entrance or follow the path up to the learning space.

For directions, click here.

Published: 19th February, 2020

Updated: 27th February, 2020

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Health and safety

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To help you with planning your visit, we will send you guidance and a risk assessment when you confirm your booking.

Teachers, group leaders and accompanying adults are responsible for the behaviour and general health and safety of their school group looking at the waterwheelgroup whilst at Wheal Martyn. They should remain with their groups at all times. Groups must have the appropriate adult to pupil ratio for the age range of students attending. 

We recommend the following staffing ratios as a minimum (in line with DfE and teachers unions):

  • 1 adult for every 6 pupils in school years 1 to 3 (under 5s reception classes should have a higher ratio)
  • 1 adult for every 10-15 pupils in school years 4 to 6
  • 1 adult for every 15-20 pupils in school year 7 onwards

Published: 19th February, 2020

Updated: 27th February, 2020

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Free teacher pre-visit for planning

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Teachers are welcome to visit Wheal Martyn before their planned school visit, free of charge. 

Published: 19th February, 2020

Updated: 27th February, 2020

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What do we offer?

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We can help you to plan your visit to suit your dates, times, topics and any other requirements.  We can create and adapt workshops and activities to suit you and your class. 

We can plan your day to include:

  • A guided tour of the Victorian clay works and Pit View.school group on a guided tour

Our Volunteer Guides offer an engaging account of the workings of the site, delving into the history of the industry and the workers, and their own personal family stories!

  • A workshop session delivered by our experienced Education Officer.

Our workshops offer a variety of hands-on activities to engage pupils, including handling museum objects, researching the museum exhibits, working in teams to investigate problems, exploring the woodland and delving into the historic site.

The curriculum-linked workshops are suitable for Reception to Key Stage 3 classes, all offering excellent outdoor learning opportunities.  If you are working on a particular topic, we can plan a workshop session to meet your learning outcomes.

For an example of our school workshop sessions, download this PDF.

  • A self-guided activity

You can lead your own activity at the museum.  If you would like a bit of support, we can provide worksheets and suggested activities that will help you to structure a self-led session.

Published: 19th February, 2020

Updated: 8th November, 2021

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Showing 10 of 5

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  • Buy tickets

    Pre-book a timed slot to visit Wheal Martyn.

  • Prices

    Prices

    Pay once and get free entry all year!

  • Kurt Jackson: Clay Country

    Kurt Jackson: Clay Country

    17 May - 5 September 2021

  • Our museum

    Our museum

    China clay mining has shaped the landscape, lives of people and economy of mid-Cornwall for over 250 years. It is Cornwall’s largest mining industry. A fully Accredited Museum, we are based within two Victorian china clay works, now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. We tell the story of this fascinating industry and the people who worked and lived in the shadows of Cornwall’s iconic ‘white pyramids’.

  • Why visit

    Why visit

    Dig deep and discover the special ingredient in your everyday life that still shapes Cornwall and the world today…china clay! It hides in your toothpaste, your paper, your car tyres and even your cosmetics. It’s a billion pound, global industry. We are telling the story of Cornwall’s secret, and the people who brought it to you, from the heart of Clay Country.

  • Join the team

    Join the team

    See the roles we are seeking at Wheal Martyn, including volunteering opportunities.

  • Cafe

    Cafe

    Open from 10am - 5pm, free to enter.

  • Gift shop

    Gift shop

    Our gift shop is open 7 days a week, 10am - 5pm. Free to enter.

  • Find us

    Find us

    St Austell. Cornwall, PL26 8XG

  • Buy an admission ticket

    Buy your Wheal Martyn ticket online today. A full price ticket gives you free return visits for a whole year!

Registered office
Wheal Martyn
St. Austell
Cornwall
PL26 8XG

01726 850362
[email protected]

Registered Charity No. 1001838

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