Essential Information

All school or group visits (including self-led visits) must be booked in advance, please contact the venue directly to do this. Alternatively please use our online workshop enquiry form.

Unfortunately, we can't currently offer self-led elements on Mondays and Tuesdays as the site is closed to the public, and can only offer facilitated activities on these days.

When you enquire about a visit please have the following information to hand:

• Name and address of school
• Contact Name
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Local authority
• Number of pupils and year group
• Preferred dates
• Packed lunch requirements
• Access requirements
• Are you using this visit to support Arts Award?

For facilitated visits:

School workshops are priced at £85 for an hour long workshop. Accompanying adults are free. You are welcome to book multiple workshops for your class.

We can also offer a full day facilitated visit which includes three one-hour activities, plus access to a room for lunch for £210 per class (see workshops for workshop capacity)

Self-led visits visit to Woodhorn Museum are free for pupils. Teachers accompanying the group will need to purchase an annual pass. Carers can enter free of charge. Advance bookings must be made for all self-led groups, please email learningnld@northeastmuseums.org.uk.

All facilitated workshops must be paid for in advance of the booked workshop taking place. Payment can be made in two ways. Newcastle City Council schools must use a Journal request and all other organisations will pay by invoice.

Invoice – North East Museums will invoice your school for activities you have booked. If you are using this method of payment please email the completed ‘Facilitated Workshop/Visit Confirmation Form’ with the following information:

• School name
• Full address including postcode
• Point of contact (this is usually your school business manager or member of the administration team)
• Purchase order number (if this is required by your organisations financial procedures).

Newcastle City Council Journal request - If you are required to use this method of payment please email the completed ‘Facilitated Workshop/Visit Confirmation Form’ with the following information:

• School name
• Point of contact (this is usually your school business manager or member of administrator team)
• Cost Code and Sub Code

A member of the venue learning team will contact you as soon as possible; we aim to reply within 5 working days, either by email or phone. The staff member will highlight the options available to you and discuss the details of your visit.

Confirmation - Once this has happened you will receive a ‘booking’ email. Check the details on here thoroughly and read the attached terms and conditions. If all the information is correct and you want to confirm the booking send back the ‘Facilitated Workshop/Visit Confirmation Form’ within five working days as confirmation.

Failure to confirm your booking within five working days will mean your booking will be cancelled and the slot given to another group.

If you have to cancel a booking please contact the venue immediately to arrange an alternative date.

If North East Museums have to cancel and no agreeable alternative is found or re-scheduling is not possible a refund will be offered.

If bad weather or other circumstances result in the school closing so that the visit cannot take place, the session will be re-arranged or an alternative found where possible. Refunds will not be offered in this instance.

Yes! We highly recommend you make a preliminary visit to help you get the most out of your trip, especially if you are on a self-led visit. The Learning Team are happy to discuss your visit with you, ensuring you and your pupils get the most from it. Please contact them directly for more information on the resources available or to arrange a meeting to discuss your requirements.

Unfortunately we do not have a risk assessment you can download, as the Department of Education's publication 'Safe Keeping' states, ‘the group leader should carry out a risk assessment’. However each venue has a hazard identification sheet which, along with your preliminary visit, will help you write your risk assessment.

There is no restriction on the number of adults you can bring on a visit, however we expect all visiting groups to follow current guidelines appropriate for the age and needs of their individual group. It is your responsibility to ensure your pupils safety and conduct whilst visiting the venue. We suggest you prepare your pupils and adult helpers for the visit, ensuring a valuable and enjoyable experience for all.

Please ask the venue Learning Team for specific information if you need to discuss ratios.

North East Museums actively try to make our venues as safe as possible. However, our venues (especially outdoor sites) can still be hazardous. Members of staff are always onsite to ensure, as far as possible the safety of visitors. However, ultimately your pupils are your responsibility, so please never leave them unsupervised.

Please ensure that your pupils are suitably dressed and are wearing appropriate footwear for the weather and activities they are participating in.

On arrival, you will be met by the entrance huts. Staff will greet you and show you where you can store your bags for the day. We recommend group leaders familiarise themselves with the museum before the visit. 

We have a café at Woodhorn. For bookings taking place on closed days (Mondays and Tuesdays) cafe facilities are unavailable, and we advise your group bring packed lunches. We provide a space for lunch breaks as part of your visit.

Woodhorn has an excellent gift shops, well stocked with lots of choice for all budgets.

If you let us know that you’d like to visit the shop prior to your visit, we’ll make sure there’s time during lunch or at the end of the visit.

We have toilets around our site and also have a changing places toilet on the top floor of the Cutter Building.

To ensure you are up to date with the latest opportunities from North East Museums make sure you sign up to our newsletter.

North East Museums also regularly hosts free twilight teacher CPD sessions both in school and in venue. These sessions include CPD sessions which are subject specific and linked to specific exhibitions.

Coach parking

We have coach parking for up to 8 coaches at Woodhorn, providing schools with a safe place to get on and off the coach.

Public transport

Ashington Train Station opened on the 15th December 2024, you can find more information here: Ashington Rail station.

Use the following link to make your way to Ashington Bus Station: Arriva Journey Planner.

From these you can travel via Phoenix Taxis, contact them on 01670 817900; or take a 20-25 minute walk to the museum:

From Ashington Train Station turn right onto Kenilworth Road, and then right onto Station Road, crossing the bridge and down past the shops. Public toilets are located here. At Superdrug on the corner of the A196, turn left down to the Bus Station area.

From Ashington Bus Station, follow the path towards and around Ashington Leisure Centre and Library. Cross the A197 at the crossing in front of the McDonald’s. Follow the joint footpath and cycleway on your right. Cross the next roundabout and continue on the footpath. 

>span class="x_s1">This leads to a pedestrian crossing on the freight railway line, please take care to check both directions when crossing.

After the railway line, there is a slight hill to walk down, so please take care here too. Once you reach the path at the bottom of the hill, bear right and follow the path through the QEII Country Park along the edge of the trees, to the north-west corner of Woodhorn Museum’s car park.