Special Schools

A child playing a with a shadow puppet theatre

Take part in a sensory-focused, interactive school workshop, a guided tour or use our self-guided resources as you and your pupils explore the SS Great Britain and discover more about Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

To enquire about a school visit, complete the enquiry form at the bottom of this page.

We also have a range of resources, including Visual Stories and Sensory Guides, to support your pupils here.

“This was a wonderful trip for our pupils who all have SEN. The staff were so lovely and helpful. From us all a HUGE thank you!” – Special school class teacher

School Workshops and Tours

Our interactive school workshops for special schools are led by the Education Team. We can tailor sessions to suit the specific needs of your pupils. Once a workshop has been booked the Education Team will contact you to discuss this.

Brunel and His Ship (SEND)

Duration: 30 to 60 minutes – depending on need

Location: Medlock Education Centre

  1. Explore a range of Brunel’s projects and discover what makes the SS Great Britain so special through an interactive sensory story.
  2. Find out how the ship was built, and have a go at riveting.
  3. Dress up to re-enact the launch of the ship in 1843.

Life at Sea (SEND)

Duration: 30 minutes

Location: Medlock Education Centre

  1. Discover what people saw, did, heard and even smelt while travelling on the SS Great Britain.
  2. Take part in a range of sensory based activities – play with traditional Victorian toys, explore smells and sounds of the ship, and dress up like a Victorian.
  3. We can also share an interactive sensory story about Brunel and the SS Great Britain as part of the session.

Guided Tour of the Ship (SEND)

Duration: Up to an hour

Location: Onboard the SS Great Britain

Find out about the SS Great Britain’s long and adventurous life, discover passengers and crew stories as you explore the ship with our knowledgeable volunteer tour guides.

Self-Guided Resources

These free resources have been designed to enhance your school visit and support students to explore the site. Please print your required resources and bring them with you on your visit.

Brunel’s Curiosity Quest

Duration: approximately 30 minutes

Location: Being Brunel Museum

Have fun and learn more about Isambard Kingdom Brunel with Brunel’s Curiosity Quest! This self-guided activity encourages your group to explore Being Brunel whilst they carry out a range of open-ended tasks, including hunting for objects and drawing a circle in a moving train carriage.

Download Brunel’s Curiosity Quest

Download the Teacher’s Guide

Captain’s Trail

Duration: 1 hour

Location: Ship

Equipment: 1 Pencil and clipboard per printed trail

Explore the SS Great Britain and complete tasks as the “Captain” of the ship using the Captain’s Trail. With 5 versions, each with a different starting place onboard, this self-led activity will allow your class to discover the SS Great Britain in smaller adult-led groups.

Each version of the trail has an adult guide to accompany it with facts and information about the ship.

Children do not need their own trails; we recommend 1 or 2 trails per small group.

Download the Captain’s Trails

Download the Adult Guides

Dockyard Museum Hunt

Duration: approximately 30 minutes

Location: Dockyard Museum

Hunt for objects and discover more about the SS Great Britain. This self-guided activity is based in the Dockyard Museum and will get the children exploring the museum while looking for real objects from the ship’s past.

Download the Dockyard Museum Hunt

Explore Everywhere

Duration: Flexible

Location: Anywhere

There is so much to discover and explore at Brunel’s SS Great Britain! These fun, simple and flexible challenge cards help children engage with their surroundings.

We recommend one set per group of children.

Download Explore Everywhere

*For best results, set your printer to “flip on long edge” and to “actual size”. Print in A4 landscape, double-sided and in colour. Then cut into cards.

Explore Art Everywhere

Duration: Flexible

Location: Anywhere

Arts and creativity are everywhere at Brunel’s SS Great Britain! These fun, simple and flexible challenge cards help children explore and identify art forms present in their surroundings.

We recommend one set per group of children.

Download Explore Art Everywhere

*For best results, set your printer to “flip on long edge” and to “actual size”. Print in A4 landscape, double-sided and in colour. Then cut into cards.

Senses Scavenger Hunt *New*

Duration: Flexible

Location: Site wide

Equipment: 1 pencil per group

Children can use their senses to explore Brunel’s SS Great Britain. The Senses Scavenger Hunt encourages them to look, smell, listen and touch to see what they can discover with a range of open-ended tasks which can be carried out anywhere onsite including the ship and dockyard.

This self-led activity can be done in groups or as a whole class while you’re exploring.

Download Senses Scavenger Hunt

Print booklet double sided, fold in half, then in half again.

Prices

Our current UK school visit prices are: 

  • £8.50 per child for entry 
  • One free adult place for every 6 children, additional adults charged at £8.50 
  • Free entry for 1:1 carers 
  • £60 per School Workshop – sessions last up to 1 hour, for a maximum of 30 children 
  • £20 per School Guided Tour – tours last up to 1 hour, for a maximum of 30 children
  • Free allocated time slot for lunch in the Riggers’ Yard, an outdoor covered picnic area

Enquiry Form

Please use the enquiry form below to start the process of booking your school visit to the SS Great Britain.

After receiving your form, a member of our Bookings Team will get in touch, as soon as possible, to either confirm your visit, offer alternative dates/times or to ask for any additional information.

Please find our booking terms and conditions here.

School Enquiry

Name (of Booker)(Required)
School Address
(finance or Trust email or a secondary contact – if different from booker)
Desired Activities
Please be aware that this is just an enquiry, and all workshops will be subject to availability.
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Please be aware that all dates are subject to availability.
Desired Time
:
We open at 10am, so please request a time from 10am onwards. Please be aware that all times are subject to availability.
DD slash MM slash YYYY
In case your date is unavailable please provide up to 3 alternative dates in order of preference – Tue to Fri (Sept-Feb) & Mon to Fri (Mar-Jul)
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