Practicalities for your Timesliders visit

Transport

Once the date and times for your visit to Drum Castle have been confirmed, please ensure you have booked transport to fit in with the delivery times of the day. If you have secured transport support through our Access Fund, the Schools Coordinator will be in touch with further information.

Risk assessment

The site and all activities have been risk assessed. It is the responsibility of the group leader to conduct their own risk assessments. A familiarisation event can assist you with this. Please contact the Schools Coordinator to receive a copy of our Timesliders risk assessment.

Facilities

Parking

If you are arriving by coach, follow the signs to the car park beside the main car park. Coaches should park in the designated coach bays. Parking for schools taking part in Timesliders is free of charge. There is accessible parking in the main car park area.

Toilets

There are toilets (including an accessible toilet) in the castle courtyard. There are no Changing Places toilets at Drum.

Lunches

There is no indoor lunch space, but we have an outdoor shelter where classes can have their snack and lunch. We will provide large storage boxes where lunches can be stored whilst you’re undertaking activities. As these boxes are not secured, we’d advise against pupils bringing valuables with them.

Inclement weather

Your session will take place indoors in the castle and outdoors on the Drum estate. During periods of inclement weather, the outdoor trails and play park can become muddy. Please dress appropriately for your visit.

A class of Primary age school children stand in front of the arched entrance to the courtyard at Drum Castle.

Accessibility

Overview

The National Trust for Scotland is committed to ensuring that our learning programmes and sites are accessible and inclusive for all learners and visitors. As part of this work, we have co-designed the Timesliders programme with local teachers and schools.

We are also working with an access consultant to explore opportunities for improving access and inclusion throughout the programme. This includes adopting a sensitive approach within the context of the historic built environment of Drum Castle and its surrounding estate.

We welcome any feedback from you to support further improvements, both for Timesliders at Drum Castle and future learning programmes.

Access needs and adjustments

Before participating in Timesliders, our Schools Coordinator will contact you to discuss how we can meet the needs of your learners throughout the programme.

To support this conversation, we have provided further information about the activities and the accessibility of the site at Drum Castle & Estate. This includes access considerations and adjustments that we have already put in place. You can find these details in the accompanying documents:

Timesliders Activity Access Statement
Drum Castle and Estate Access Statement

Ratios

Accompanying adults are free of charge, up to 1 adult:6 children.
The minimum requirement is 1 adult:8 children for the castle activity.
Additional adults may accompany for outdoor self-led activities only.
Where pupils require support on a 1:1 ratio, this adult should be included over and above these ratios.

Feedback and evaluation

Your feedback will help improve the programme and enhance future learning opportunities at the National Trust for Scotland. We will ask you to complete an online survey – from you and your class – to capture your feedback. We may also ask for feedback on the day during your visit to Drum Castle.