School Visits

We have put together this FAQ guide for teachers which should hopefully answer any questions you might have about visiting us, or booking any of our services. If you have any questions we have not covered here, contact our Reception team on hello@thepoint.org.uk.

What resources and training do you provide for teachers? 

You can find our resources for arts in the classroom on our registered charity’s website, including packs to provide ideas and inspiration, practical music files, and drama and art techniques, games and exercises.

We run Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshops. If you would like more in-depth CPD training in school, contact Sarah on sarah@wearedarts.org.uk for more information.

I want to bring my class to visit your gallery. How can I book this?

Just get in touch! Contact Sophie on  01302 493843 or sophie@wearedarts.org.uk to book. We recommend that you book as early as possible to ensure availability.

What is the difference between a self-facilitated visit and an artist-led visit?

Self-facilitated visits are free to book. The gallery is kept private for you and your class during the duration of your visit, and you will have the opportunity to explore the exhibition, look, listen, discuss and make art. Depending on the exhibition, there may be resource sheets available which encourage your pupils to analyse and evaluate their responses to the artworks; if there are resource sheets available for the exhibition you are visiting, we will make sure there are enough for your class. You are also welcome to bring your own materials for self-facilitated visits such as sketchbooks.

For artist-led visits, one of our team of professional artists will lead your pupils in a creative workshops based upon the exhibition.  A fee applies for artist-led sessions: please email sophie@wearedarts.org.uk to enquire.

Who can I speak to if I want more information about a specific exhibition, workshop or visit?

We have a brilliant team here at darts who can help you with any questions you may have. Our Arts Administrator, Sophie, can be reached on 01302 493843 or sophie@wearedarts.org.uk – she is an ideal first point of call, and if needs be she can direct onto the most relevant individual.

How will a visit to The Point benefit my class?

We always evaluate the impact of our work where we can, and over the years we have built a bank of case studies relating to our schools work. You can find some of them here.

I’m coming to visit The Point with my class – where will the coach drop us off?

Our address is as follows:
The Point
16 South Parade
Doncaster
DN1 2DR

Coaches usually pull onto South Parade; you will then see the front entrance to The Point, usually marked with blue and yellow flags outside. Some schools visit us using service buses to keep costs down; there are bus stops directly opposite us at Regent Square, and a stop on our side of the road outside the Salutation.

I have pupil(s) with access needs. Do you have disabled parking available? 

We have one disabled parking spot available in our car park for people with a Blue Badge, which will need to be booked in advance of your visit. You can find information on disabled parking in the area around The Point here.

What disabled access does The Point have?

The Point has full disabled access throughout the building. We have a Changing Place facility available – just ask at reception and they will provide you with the key.

What are the lunch arrangements when visiting The Point? Can we eat packed lunches in the building or does your café provide packed lunches?

You are welcome to bring packed lunches. There is plenty of space available for pupils to sit and eat, including our lovely gallery garden if the weather is nice. Our café serves a selection of hot and cold snacks and drinks too – let us know if you would like any prices for group bookings.

What are your health and safety procedures and safeguarding policies?

darts is committed to the principle that everyone who accesses our services should be safe and protected from harm. We have a Safeguarding Lead within our team who stays abreast of all developments in safeguarding policy and practice, and advises the organisation on necessary developments within darts. They are the first point of contact regarding any concerns relating to safeguarding. For more information contact sarah@wearedarts.org.uk.

If you experience any practical issues which may impact the safety of yourself or your pupils, such as spillages, let our reception team know as soon as possible and they will resolve the issue for you.

Our Safeguarding Policy can be downloaded here.

I want to book an artist with a specific skill-set to lead my class in a workshop. Can you help?

We work with a great and varied team of Core Artists and Freelance Artists, with expertise in areas including visual art, crafts such as felting, printing and sculpting, painting, drawing, illustration, music-making, music technology, singing, songwriting, Makaton signing, poetry, drama and dance. If you are looking for an artist who works in a specific field of art, you can always inquire to see whether we are currently working with anyone skilled in this area, but to be fair to our artist team we generally can’t signpost you beyond them.

Can you outline the work you do with the different key stages?

We work with all key stages in mainstream and special schools. Each project is different and designed specifically to suit the needs of the year groups we are working with.  We work in partnerships with schools to ensure our workshops are suitable for the needs of the class and the teacher. Our artists are skilled in delivering to all ages and can adapt and differentiate skill level and their activities to accommodate every child.

How can my school get involved with one of the programmes of work mentioned in here? 

For many of our school projects, there are specific criteria which we need to meet when choosing which schools to work with. These schools are often chosen at the beginning of each project – for long-running projects, this could be years ago.

We have some free resources for you to use in your class, as well as more advanced resources and training available to purchase. You can find those on our registered charity’s website.

Otherwise, you can register your interest by emailing sarah@wearedarts.org.uk.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!