We hope that your school/organisation will have an enjoyable, rewarding and safe experience visiting the RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre. In order to assist you with completion of your Risk Assessment for planning a future visit and our behaviour requirements, we have provided further information on the key areas below.

• Whilst school/organisation visits will usually be exclusive to the Heritage Centre, some visits might be during public opening times. We ask that you maintain appropriate supervision of your pupils during the visit at all times with an appropriate staff to pupil ratio for the number of pupils and that there is full cooperation with the Heritage Centre staff.
• Prior to the visit, we ask that pupils are appropriately briefed upon the required conduct and behaviour when attending the Heritage Centre. Pupils will also be briefed upon arrival by Heritage Centre staff to cover administrative and safety issues such as fire evacuation procedure.
• It is the school/organisation’s responsibility to make their own way to the Heritage Centre and that arrival and departure is punctual to ensure all agreed activities can be undertaken. Vehicle parking can be arranged subject to prior notice. The Heritage Centre cannot accommodate coaches.
• We ask that schools have appropriate contingency arrangements or any pupils whose behaviour is unacceptable and likely to threaten the safety or enjoyment of others. Heritage Centre staff will ask a pupil to be removed if such arrangements are unsatisfactory and do not resolve an issue.
• If school staff become aware of any issue or incident that might threaten the safety or enjoyment of other visitors, please let the Heritage Centre staff know as soon as possible.
• The maximum number of pupils visiting the Heritage Centre shall not exceed 30 with an appropriate number of supervising school staff.
• It is the responsibility of the school/organisation to return all equipment borrowed and a charge will be made for equipment lost or damaged due to carelessness.

Heritage Centre Staff
• The Heritage Centre will ensure that staff presenting to schools are Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) cleared where possible, but may request that a school staff accompany pupil groups when visiting various rooms around the building.
• All staff presenting at education events have appropriate training and experience.

Evacuation procedures
• All school visits will begin with an initial briefing which will cover evacuation of the building in the event of a fire or other hazard which might threaten the safety of the occupants.
• The Heritage Centre meets all fire requirements for museums which incorporates a Fire Alarm and the correct provision of Fire detection devices, Fire Alarm activation points, Fire Exit warning signage, Fire fighting appliances, a regular testing schedule and a well rehearsed Fire Evacuation procedure.
• We ask that schools follow the instructions given by Heritage Centre staff upon evacuation and proceed calmly to the Assembly point which is situated in the Car Park in front of the Heritage Centre near the pedestrian gate.

First Aid
• We aim to have a First Aid trained member of staff available at all times and the Heritage Centre maintains a First Aid kit to enable first aid treatment to be administered.
• The Heritage Centre maintains a mobile telephone on the premises at all times to enable the Emergency services to be contacted.
• The closest Accident and Emergency unit is located at Queen’s Hospital, Rom Valley Way, Romford, Essex RM7 0AG. Their contact number is 0330 400 4333.
• All First Aid incidents are recorded in an Incident book. 
Allergens
• We ask that if any pupils are known to have a severe allergic reaction to any allergens that they must have the appropriate medication with them and understand how it should be administered. This includes other known conditions (e.g. asthma) where pupils must bring along any required medication or medical aids (e.g. asthma pump).
• The Heritage Centre maintains a Tea Room facility for the sale and consumption of food and beverages by visitors. The Kitchen meets all Health and Safety requirements for the preparation and storage of food and beverages and Kitchen staff have received appropriate training. [ Saturday + Sunday ]
• As school visits will be morning or afternoon sessions, it is unlikely that the Tea Room facility will be available for the sale of food and beverages to pupils. However if a refreshment break has been agreed by prior arrangement, we ask that pupils bring their own food and beverages for consumption.
• In some demonstrations by Heritage Centre staff, there may be occasion where there is a louder than usual noise such as an air raid siren. In such circumstances, we will give schools prior warning of the demonstration to enable any affected pupils to be safe guarded. We will also seek to reduce the impact of any such demonstration by operating any devices as a reduced level.
• We ask schools to ensure that Heritage Centre staff are made aware of any pupils with any condition which might cause them any discomfort or reduce their enjoyment during their visit. This includes any pupils with a visual or hearing difficulty. Whilst we will endeavour to accommodate any situations subject to individual circumstances and the safety of other visitors, we cannot guarantee that every situation can be accommodated.

Health and Safety
• The Heritage Centre’s public areas have been designed and are maintained to ensure they are safe areas for all of our visitors. The entrance and exit have slopes and handrails to assist visitors and we ask that visitors take appropriate care when using steps and staircases.
• Our artefacts and exhibits are displayed in a safe manner to mitigate any risk to our visitors and we ask that visitors respect all warning notices and any barriers. Artefacts and exhibits must not be touched unless specific permission is given by a member of the Heritage Centre staff.
• Toilet facilities including a Disabled Toilet are available for use by visitors. These incorporate hand washing facilities and hand driers. We ask that schools brief pupils on appropriate hygiene standards to maintain these facilities for the comfort and safety of other visitors.

Hazard identification and Risk assessment
• The Heritage Centre is a low risk environment and we have undertaken hazard identification and risk assessments on all public areas which is available upon request. Whilst we cannot a risk assessment for each individual group visiting the Heritage Centre, we have undertaken identification of the key hazards in the Heritage Centre.
• Artefacts and exhibits are displayed to best effect to maximise the visitor experience. However we ask that visitors do not lean on glass displays or cabinets, touch exhibits not behind glass or attempt to climb onto any exhibits. Whilst this is covered in an initial briefing by Heritage Centre staff, we ask that Schools reinforce this policy.
• If you identify a hazard that you believe we may not have been identified, we ask that you report the hazard to a member of Heritage Centre staff as soon as possible.

CCTV
• The Heritage Centre operates a Closed Circuit Television system (CCTV) which records activity in all rooms and outside areas 24 hours a day for the security and safety of the Heritage Centre and all occupants.
 
Coronavirus / COVID19
• The Heritage Centre will adhere to all national and local requirements for museums to mitigate the risk of transmission of Coronavirus/COVID19. This will include but is not limited to the following measures as may be required at that time:
(i) Maximum building occupancy limits and Social distancing.
(ii) Appropriate warning signage.
(iii)The wearing of face masks by staff and adult visitors.
(iv) Provision of alcohol based hand washing facilities.
(v) A cleaning and sanitising regime for all high use contact areas.
(vi) Rapid testing and any Trace and track visitor monitoring as may be required.
• The Heritage Centre will not be open to the public during any period of lock down. The Heritage Centre will not be open to the public whilst any national or local lock down period is in force.
• As a result of the fast changing pace of the pandemic, these mitigating actions may alter over time. The Heritage Centre will seek to discuss and agree COVID19 measures with the school prior to a visit to ensure safety of pupils and staff are not compromised.

About us
• The RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre is operated by the Hornchurch Aerodrome Historical Trust which is a Registered Charity (No. 1182040) with the Charity Commission.
• The Heritage Centre is run entirely by unpaid trustees and volunteers with the objective to tell the story of Hornchurch Aerodrome and to remember and commemorate all of the pilots and personnel who served there between 1915 and 1962.
• Payments for visits should be made to Hornchurch Aerodrome Historical Trust. All invoices will be issued in the name of Hornchurch Aerodrome Historical Trust.

Advice on Visit planning
Whilst the Heritage Centre will maintain a number of fixed exhibits to represent the history of Hornchurch Aerodrome and the story of its pilots and personnel, there will also be a rotation of exhibits and displays to ensure the visitor experience is fresh and rewarding for every visit. For school visits, we welcome a prior visit to discuss and agree the content appropriate to each Key Stage and year.