Our work with schools and colleges

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We offer a unique experience for your students in our purpose-built study centre and local operating quarries, led by our experienced team of educators. We can accommodate a class of up to 32 students plus support staff on a variety of programmes for a day visit. Thanks to the support of our sponsors, there is no charge for educational visits for local schools, although we're always grateful for any donations towards our running costs.  We suggest £5 per student state schools and £10 per student private schools as a donation. 

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We teach on many aspects of the quarry industry including quarry processes, uses of Mendip limestone, the history of the Mendip quarry industry, health & safety, environmental impact management, sustainability, careers & industry apprenticeships, STEM in quarry industry and business studies. We also use Vallis Vale, near Frome and the Centre’s restored quarry location to teach about natural habitats, geography river studies, industrial archaeology, woodland conservation and other environmental topics. All educational material has been developed by our staff and is linked to the National Curriculum and QCA schemes of work. 

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All programmes are flexible and can be tailored to your requirements, do get in touch to discuss.   The following are our most popular education programmes:

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Key Stage 2*

• Rocks, Fossils and Mendip quarry tour day

• Rock lab lesson plan 

• Fossil lab lesson plan

• Rivers – Geography Studies  lesson plan

• Measuring Flow/Profile exercise

• River bedload exercise

• Rivers sampling invertebrates lesson plan – Invertebrate sampling work sheet

• Volcanoes & Dynamic Earth - lesson plan

• Habitats & Living Things - lesson plan

 

Key Stage 3 & 4

• The Quarry Industry and Environmental Impact Management 

• Rivers –  Geography GCSE field work measuring rivers/flow rate/profile

• GCSE Geology & Quarry industry case studies.

 

Key Stage 5 

• A Level Environmental Science - The Mendip Quarry Industry and Environmental Impact Management

• Quarry Impact Mitigation and Restoration of post worked quarries

• GCSE A level Geology field visits to Mendip operational limestone and andesite quarries.  

• GCSE A Level Field visits to local Geological SSSI’s at Vallis Vale – De la Beche Unconformity and Tedbury Camp.  

• A Level Biology - Vegetation surveys and plant succession on quarry screenbanks

 

University/Higher Education

• The Mendip Quarry Industry and Environmental Impact Management/Restoration techniques

• Geology special interest field visits to operational Mendip Quarries

• Quarry history/Industrial Archaeology visits to closed quarry sites

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Please contact us to find our more about our education programmes. We also offer a variety of careers experiences, helping inspire young people about a career in the quarry industry. 

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*Please note that Key Stage 2 schools are required to bring at least 1 adult to 8 children. Some sessions may require extra supervision.

 

All visitors must come equipped with suitable outdoor clothing, wellies, & shoes for indoors and a packed lunch.  We can provide wellies for students if needed. Unfortunately, we cannot provide disabled access to operational quarries, but we do have wheelchair accessibility to the centre and adapted toilet facilities. We can discuss mobility access arrangements for field sites when you book.