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SEND schools

We're delighted to welcome SEND school groups to Norwich Castle. We know that every group is different, so if you decide to book a visit we'll work with you to tailor events for your students. Please see below for more information about what we can offer.

Topics

The current topic areas that we can support are:

  • Medieval. Please note that Norwich Castle Keep is closed until early 2024 for major redevelopment. Medieval workshops will take place in a different part of the museum. Find out more about the Royal Palace Reborn project.
  • Romans and Iceni
  • Prehistory
  • Ancient Egypt
  • Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Please note that the Anglo-Saxon and Viking Gallery is currently closed due to the Norwich Castle: Royal Palace Reborn project. Anglo-Saxon and Viking workshops will take place in a different part of the museum.

Each workshop will last around an hour and cost £50. They will incorporate a sensory focus as suits the needs of your group, lots of active participation and will include a mix of object-handling and storytelling.

We're always working to develop the inclusivity of our schools offer and would love to hear from you on ways we can continue to improve and develop our provision. If there’s a topic not mentioned above that you're interested in, please do get in touch and we will see if we can accommodate it. We are also working on expanding our offer, so keep an eye on this page for updates!

If you think your group would be happy and confident at one of our mainstream school events, we’d be pleased for you to take part. You can find our current mainstream programme on the main page. Please note that other schools will be attending at the same time, and you’ll share the introduction and plenary sessions with them, though the other sessions will be just your group.

You can also make self-guided visits (these must also be booked in advance). Pre-booked self-guided visits for Norfolk schools are free. For schools outside Norfolk, it’s £2.40 per student.

Information, inquiries and booking

If you’d like to book one of our events, please call 01603 493636 or email norwichcastle.bookings@norfolk.gov.uk, and have the following information to hand:

  • The name and postcode of your school
  • Your class size
  • The pupils’ year group(s) (this is for our monitoring)
  • The number of accompanying adults
  • The event you’re interested in, or whether you’d like a self-guided visit
  • Which half-term/term you’d like to visit
  • Details of access or learning needs. We’ll contact you to discuss further
  • For facilitated visits, the approximate level that your pupils are working at
  • Whether anyone is in a higher risk category for Covid-19
  • Whether you’d like a space to eat packed lunches (subject to availability)

Finding out more about you

If you book for a facilitated visit, we want to ensure that we’re offering the best possible experience for the pupils or young people in your group. To help with that, we’ll contact you before your trip to discuss the needs of individuals in your group. We can discuss over the phone or via email, whichever is easiest for you. To get you thinking, the kind of questions we might ask about the members of your group include:

  • What are their strengths? What are they really good at?
  • Are there any particular dos or don’ts we should be aware of?
  • Any particular sensory preferences? (For example: Is anyone particularly visual-seeking or unsure of particular tactile experiences?)
  • Is there anything any individual pupils find particularly challenging?
  • Are there any particular approaches used in your setting which work really well for individuals in your group? (For example: Visual timetables, opportunities to get up about and move, regular sensory breaks, key phrases etc?)
  • What approximate level are individuals in your group working at academically?
  • Is there anything else you feel it is important for anyone working with your group to know?

Access information

If you have wheelchair-users in your group, please note that currently only one wheelchair-user is permitted above ground floor level at any time. In the event of an emergency they’ll need to be transferred to an evacuation chair. This is so we can ensure safe evacuation of the building.

There are wheelchair-accessible toilets at ground and first floor level, plus a Changing Place on the ground floor. The Changing Place can be accessed by radar key (if you don't have a radar key, please speak to a member of staff).

Please note that during the Norwich Castle: Royal Palace Reborn redevelopment project, there is no parking on site. You can still drive cars or minibuses over the bridge to drop off your group if needed.

The main entrance has three steps, but there is a step-free entrance very close by.

Read more about access facilities at the Castle.

COVID-19

If any member of your group is at a higher COVID-19 risk and you would like to discuss possible accommodations, please contact us in advance of your visit at 01603 493636 or norwichcastle.bookings@norfolk.gov.uk.

Resources

There are free resources available for a number of our school events. These are aimed at the listed Key Stage, so you may wish to adapt them to support the needs of your group. View free resources.