An array of health posters from the Second World War, with a central image of Churchill proclaiming "Let us go forward together."

Coronavirus Update

With national lockdown declared, we wait with you to learn when we can return to schools. Our virtual workshops are still available.

 

Where Things Stand

As of Tuesday 5th January, schools are closed and the country is again in lockdown. Government guidance published on Monday 4th January states schools remain closed until February half term.

Our return to schools after half term will depend on the government guidance. We hope the Department for Education guidance will again allow peripatetic teachers to visit, as it did in the Autumn. If so — and if visits can be done safely — we hope to return to schools quickly once they reopen.

In the meantime, virtual workshops are still being offered. They can be used in both in-school and remote learning settings:

  • In-school: If you have a large number of key worker and vulnerable children, our virtual workshops are designed to be completed in a “Covid secure” way that prevents mixing of children, but still captures the hands-on experience of one of our in-school days.
  • Remote learning: The video we provide is via a YouTube link that can be embedded in a remote learning environment, shared with the children or shown through video conferencing software. The main consideration is whether the school is in a position to distribute the individual activity packets to each participating child.

If we can help schedule a virtual workshop for your children, please do not hesitate to contact us.

LEARN MORE ABOUT VIRTUALLY OFF THE PAGE

 

Bookings

Booked for January/Early February: If you have an in-school or virtual booking, please contact us. We would be happy to discuss your options, including:

  • Rescheduling in-school and virtual workshops to a later date.
  • Switching from an in-school workshop to a virtual workshop (virtual workshops use prerecorded videos and can be done remotely if the school can get the materials to the children.)
  • Cancelling your workshop, if necessary. We will understand if you need to cancel, and we continue to waive fees for cancellations due to coronavirus.

Booked for February half-term onward: Our diary is still in place. When schools reopen, we intend to resume regular bookings from that point. Please let us know if you will struggle to host the day – we are happy to work with you and reschedule your day if possible. If an in-school visit is no longer practical, we would be happy to switch your day to a virtual workshop.

 

Future bookings: We are still taking bookings for future full-day and virtual workshops. Virtual workshops are available on short notice, including through our closure period. Dates for in-school bookings are available from Monday 22nd February onward (second Spring half term).

Many schools have made provisional bookings this year — there is no obligation while the day remains “in pencil” — and have planned to use the virtual workshop as a back-up plan as necessary. Please contact us and we are happy to discuss dates and options with you.

 

Payments

If your school has an outstanding invoice for a day we have provided, we would appreciate payment as quickly as possible.

If your school has paid for a day that has been cancelled, please contact us to arrange a refund or credit on your account.

 

Cancellation Policy

As we did in the spriing, we are waiving all cancellation fees for bookings lost to coronavirus closures.

Once schools reopen, we will continue to be flexible with our cancellation policy. We would hope to work cooperatively with schools through this crisis. If a sudden situation made our visit impossible, we would hope to reschedule or substitute a virtual workshop (if the required topic is offered).

 

Contacting Us

We will remain reachable while schools are closed to help you navigate scheduled bookings or to plan future bookings. Please feel free to contact us as usual. We will be working from home – please be patient if there is a lag in our response times, as we are operating on a skeleton crew.

 

Thank You

We are humbled by the outpouring of support schools have shown us this year. Many of you have reached out with words of encouragement, hoping we would again return to your schools. We are incredibly grateful.

Thank you for your understanding through this temporary closure. This space will be updated as the guidelines for schools and the coronavirus situation continue to change.

We hope you, your families and your school communities stay safe. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Updated Wednesday 13th January 2021