| Specifications | |
| Location(s) | Buckinghamshire, HP16 0AL |
| Key Stages | KS1, KS2, KS3 |
| Special Schools | Yes |
| Public Liability | 5,000,000 |
| Enhanced DBS | Yes |
| Fees | Please contact us with details of your requirements |
| Administration Service | Administered by the provider |
| Website | https://www.roalddahl.com/museum |
More about this Workshop/Service and the Provider
Splendiferous news! We’re now open for bookings for the 2021-22 academic year!
We’re delighted to offer you our brand-new Livestream Learning sessions, and to welcome you back to the Museum for our On-site school sessions.
On-site sessions - what we offer
Explore elements of Roald Dahl's writing process and life through a visit to the Museum.
Learn from Roald Dahl, master storyteller
We’re home to one of the most complete literary archives – of one of the world’s greatest children’s writers, Roald Dahl!
A school trip to our great little Museum in Buckinghamshire will support your pupils’ literacy learning. Our Museum is the perfect place to see the writing process in action by one of its masters. Pupils will discover how they can use the same techniques themselves and find out more about Roald Dahl’s life while exploring our fun, interactive galleries in one of our facilitated sessions.
Our aim is for your visit to us to be HANDS-ON, INVESTIGATIVE and EXCITING. Our schools’ programme is delivered by our experienced Learning Team. All of our team hold an Enhanced DBS clearance and regularly review and update their professional skills.
90 minute and 180 minute sessions
We offer two types of sessions. Both types are based around a key literacy area which is the focus throughout your visit.
Galleries-based 90 minute sessions:
- Allow you to discover more about an element of Roald Dahl’s writing process and his life.
- Based in the Museum’s galleries with our 40 interactive installations.
- Include a small group activity working with materials from the Roald Dahl archive.
- Include a short, interactive talk in the replica Writing Hut focused on the theme of your session.
- Include a galleries challenge activity*.
- Can combine with our self-led Village Trail.
Archive-based 180 minute sessions:
- Allow you to discover more about an element of Roald Dahl’s writing process and his life.
- Based in our learning space with a unique opportunity to work with Roald Dahl’s drafts and letters.
- Include time exploring the Museum’s galleries with our 40 interactive installations.
- Use Roald Dahl’s work as a model to produce your own work.
- Include a galleries challenge activity*.
- Can combine with part of our self-led Village Trail.
Years 2 to 4
Sessions for years 2 to 4
Whichever books you’re reading with your class, these sessions will take you behind-the-scenes to discover Roald Dahl’s writing processes…
GALLERIES-BASED 90 MINUTE SESSIONS
Exploring Editing
Roald Dahl was a master of the editing process. Explore the galleries to find out about the changes he made to his stories, from James's giant fruits to Matilda the Miracle Child. Find the editing tools he used in his Writing Hut, then develop a character in our interactive Story Centre by editing a line written by the author.
Crafting Characters
Discover how Roald Dahl found his ideas for creating characters from real life. Explore the galleries, dress up for inspiration and make your own character in our interactive Story Centre using pictures of eyes from Roald Dahl’s archive.
Unlocking Ideas
Get creative in our interactive Story Centre to collect ideas for a class Ideas Book. Explore the galleries to find out about Roald Dahl’s inspiration for the worlds of Charlie, James and Fantastic Mr Fox. Plus discover the author’s own Ideas Book!
ARCHIVE-BASED 180 MINUTE SESSIONS
All of our archive-based sessions use examples from our collection of Roald Dahl's drafts, letters and notebooks that your group won’t see elsewhere in the Museum. You will visit the galleries but this is for a limited time and the focus of your session will be in our learning space.
Explore the Archive: Undercover Editors
Discover how Roald Dahl edited his work with examples from the archive throughout this session. Get hands-on completing editing activities, gobblefunk around with words like the BFG, and hunt around the Museum for editing examples from the master storyteller. Finally, use all that you have learnt to edit some of Roald Dahl’s own work – will you send it to the publisher and meet the deadline?!
Explore the Archive: Creative Collaborators
Did you know that Roald Dahl was also a photographer and framer? In this session you will discover the various ways that he was creative by doing the same kinds of activities yourself. Learn more about the creative process between Roald Dahl and the illustrators of his books to create gruesome Grunchers and marvellous Muggle-Wumps. Then work together as closely as Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake did to produce a class picture book, with everyone taking different roles to collaborate creatively.
Years 5 to 8
Sessions for years 5 to 8
Whichever books you’re reading with your class, these sessions will take you behind-the-scenes to discover Roald Dahl’s writing processes…
GALLERIES-BASED 90 MINUTE SESSIONS
Delve into Drafting
After a galleries challenge to learn more about Roald Dahl's life, you'll discover how he was the master of re-drafting! Explore Writing Hut, where you’ll see real examples of the changes he made to his work and find out about James's other giant fruits. Then use these processes to make your own re-drafting decisions.
Building Biography
Explore the galleries to learn about Roald Dahl’s biographical writing techniques from Boy and Going Solo. Discover the ways that he made the everyday seem special through real-life letters, headlines and extracts. Use what you’ve learnt as well as one of our ‘special objects’ to create your own bit of biography.
Unlocking Inspiration
Get creative in our interactive Story Centre to collect ideas for a class Ideas Book. Explore the galleries to find out about Roald Dahl’s inspiration for the worlds of Charlie and James. Then discover the author’s own Ideas Book with real examples that grew into stories like Matilda!
ARCHIVE-BASED 180 MINUTE SESSION
All of our archive-based sessions use examples from our collection of Roald Dahl’s drafts, letters and notebooks that your group won’t see elsewhere in the Museum. You will visit the galleries but this is for a limited time and the focus of your session will be in our learning space.
Explore the Archive: Re-drafting Roald Dahl
Discover Roald Dahl’s re-drafting process with examples from the archive throughout this session, including characters from the Chocolate Factory that you won’t have met before. Complete some hands-on editing activities, gobblefunk around with words like the BFG and hunt around the Museum for re-drafting examples from the master storyteller. Put all you’ve learnt into practice as you become an editor: turn Roald Dahl’s text into your own and send your feedback!
New session!
Explore the Archive: Ways To Create
How many ways are there to be creative? In this session, you will find out more about the creative processes that Roald Dahl used by trying out the same kinds of activities yourself. You’ll gobblefunk around with words like the BFG did and transform the Trunchbull! Explore different creative versions of Mr Fox’s story, then make your own version of a room from the Chocolate Factory that you won’t have encountered before. You will need to work together closely to create something amazing!
Costs
How much does it cost for a school visit?
£205 for a galleries-based 90 minute session for up to 32 students.
£240 for an archive-based 180 minute session for up to 32 students.
We offer one free adult place for every six children that you bring. 1-to-1 support is also free. Additional adults are charged at £7.00 each. We require you to bring at least one adult for every eight children.
Included in the cost of a visit are:
- a Sparky Schools Information Pack to help you prepare for the day.
- Terrific Teacher Golden Tickets to gain free entry to the Museum to carry out your risk assessment in advance of your trip.
- all learning resources and materials needed throughout your visit.
- a dedicated lunch area for your school as well as an area to leave coats/bags during the day.
- a self-led Village Trail designed specifically for schools to explore Great Missenden and its connections with Roald Dahl.
Goody bags
A memento of your visit is often an important part of a school trip. We can therefore provide goody bags for the children (and adults) in your class.
To receive your goody bags on the day of your visit, please book them at least 7 days in advance of your visit. Goody bags are not included in the cost of a school session and must be paid for on the day of your visit by card, cash or cheque. Cheques for goody bags must be made payable to The Roald Dahl Centre (Trading) Ltd.
Goody bags cost £3 each and typically contain:
- a small Roald Dahl notebook
- a Museum pencil
- a Museum postcard
- a Museum bookmark
- a Museum wristband
- a Museum free entry voucher
The Amanda Conquy Travel Bursary
We have a limited number of travel bursaries that we can award to schools each term to help with travel costs. If you think you could benefit from this scheme please find out more.
Testimonials
Availability & How to Book
We are ready to organise your special event for you and answer any queries you may have.
Please complete the enquiry form below and someone will get back to you.
