An Inclusive Trip to Alton Towers

In June this year we took our two classes on a visit to Alton Towers.  The trip would not have been possible without the installation of two new Changing Places toilets (toilets designed to meet the needs of people with complex care needs including a hoist and adult sized changing bench).  It is so important that more places install these facilities. Without these facilities, visits are often cut short in order to meet these individuals’ basic needs or families and carers are often forced to resort to changing on toilet floors. For many it is simply not feasible to visit at all.  The Changing Places Consortium is campaigning for Changing Places toilets to be installed in all big public places. You can find more information about Changing Places on their website here including ways you can support or become a campaigner. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter @CP_Consortium.

Pre visit 

We initially did a pre-visit in order to carry out our risk assessment. Alton Towers offer Teacher VIP days which include an hour long seminar offering you information on the opportunities and facilities available and free tickets to explore the facilities for yourself. We were fortunate that on the particular day we went there were no more than 8 other teachers who attended the VIP day. This enabled the seminar to be really tailored to answer the specific questions we needed in order to make our visit possible. You can find examples of these below.

FAQ

Q1. We require a higher staffing ratio for our pupils with complex care needs. How many free adult places do you offer for these pupils?

A1: One free adult per child with an EHCP plus an extra adult per 5 children. We were advised to take each child’s EHCP with us on the day however, they later agreed to accept a letter from the head of school listing the children and their needs as well as confirming that all the children had an EHCP.  We would advise you to clarify with Alton Towers what they would accept on your trip.

Q2. Where are your changing places toilets located?

A2: There is a changing places toilet located in X Sector and a Space to Change facility located in Fountain Square. These are easily identified on the map by the changing places logo.

Q3: Some of our pupils will need physiotherapy during the visit- are there any wheelchair accessible rooms which we are able to use for this?

A room can be provided (this is different from the one usually offered to mainstream schools and is located in ‘Cloud Cuckoo land’ which is further from the main entrance). There is also a medical centre. If you visit the medical centre staff during your free day, they are happy to help. The medical staff advised us that we would be able to use their medical bed for one of our pupils who requires daily chest physiotherapy.

Q4: Are any of your rides wheelchair accessible? Some of our pupils need to be lifted or physically assisted. Can you advise which rides might be suitable for these pupils?

A4: There is one wheelchair accessible ride in CBeebies world. We were advised to go and speak to staff working on the specific rides that would be able to advise us on which ones would be suitable for individuals during our visit. We found that there was one wheelchair accessible ride in CBeebies Land- The Numtums Number-Go-Round (please note that only one wheelchair is allowed on each time). There are other rides that can be accessed if the pupil is able to brace such as the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride and Postman Pat’s Parcel Post. Lucy created a chart for each of the rides in the park that we planned to visit, with the pupil’s names down the side and a tick box to identify which children were able to access which rides/facilities. This was essential when we split into groups as it enabled group leaders and staff members to know in advance which rides they were able to use. You can find this resource along with other related resources for free on our TES resources page here.

Q5: When do you pay for the trip?

A5: You have to pay 10 days in advance for a school trip. Cost depends on time of year but in June it was £8 per child.

Q6: Is there a fast track available for our pupils?

A6: Fast track was offered to all of our pupils at no extra cost, we just had to collect the wristbands from the entrance on the day. Fast track was great, we went straight to the front of the queue but there are systems in place if it’s busy whereby your card is marked with the next time you can ride.

Q7: Are any radar keys available at the park in order to access the Changing Places toilets?

A7: Radar keys can be borrowed from the information centre for a deposit if needed for the changing spaces facilities.

Q8: Does Alton Towers Theme Park have the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality badge?

A8 Yes- “The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, which recognises providers offering good quality learning outside the classroom and managing risk effectively awards the Quality Badge to educational destinations which meets the stringent criteria for quality school trips. It can reduce red tape for you when planning visits, assures effective risk management and gives you the freedom and confidence to incorporate more learning outside the classroom into the curriculum.” (Alton Towers Resort School Planning Pack 2017)

Q9: Is there anywhere to store temperature sensitive medication?

A9: The medical centre can store temperature sensitive medication for you in their medical centre refrigerated medicine storage.

We held a parent’s information evening before the trip took place to offer information, pictures from our risk assessment visit and opportunities for us to answer any questions they may have. You can find the PowerPoints from this information evening for free on our Sensory_Dispensary TES resources page here.

What opportunities are there on offer for pupils?

There were many areas of the park that offered great opportunities for our pupils with PMLD. In CBeebies Land there was Mr Tumbles Sensory Garden which offered a wealth of sensory experiences particularly stimulating the olfactory sense with plants including lemon balm, rosemary, mint and lavender offering a variety of strong scents along the path. There were also ‘fun house’ mirrors and Mr Tumble’s voice along with music was played in different spots. There are also ‘lift-the-flap’ activities for more able pupils although we found that these were not always accessible from wheelchairs.

Nina’s Science Lab provided many opportunities for exploration. There were different textures to feel, plasma globes, smells to experience in a guess the smell ‘lift-the-flap’ activity, talking tubes and much more. Again, we did find that some elements of this area were difficult to access for those pupils with bigger, non-height adjustable wheelchairs.

The Aquarium provided amazing visually mesmerising sensory experiences and the staff were very accommodating in enabling our pupils to participate in Tropical Interactive Pool for tactile sensory experiences! Pupils were able to feel starfish and encountered some strange manicure giving shrimp as they dipped their hands into the water.

There were also interactive shows at various times throughout the day from 'Big Fun Show Time' and 'The Furchester Live Hotel' which were a big hit for our pupils with familiar characters and songs that brought big smiles and giggles to many faces! The performers were great at ensuring our pupils were involved in the games, singing and dancing.

For more able pupils Lola's world was very popular, especially the interactive floor and ball pit. This was great fun as the children were able to put the balls in a tube and anticipated them dropping down. Lola’s world is wheelchair accessible and we found it was possible to lift some of our pupils out of their chairs to explore the interactive floor. It was also possible for some of our pupils who have more mobility out of their wheelchairs, to be physically assisted to get into the ball pool. There are cupboards to open and explore, various noises to listen to, dressing up activities and more.

Mr Bloom’s garden was also a hit with many of our children with SLD. It is a fully interactive experience including action songs and hands on practical activities led by Mr Bloom’s neighbour, Mr Blossom. It is also a lovely opportunity for learning about recycling and looking after plants.

Another sensory experience was discovered by some of our pupils as we were standing underneath a roller-coaster. We had to wait outside the Changing Places toilet which was next to the Smiler roller-coaster ride with two of our pupils who found great pleasure in the shaking, vibration and ‘clinking’ sounds as the ride climbed up the slope along with the whooshing and shouts from the people on board as the ride zoomed down. There is also music playing all around the park as well as plenty of naturally occurring sounds and smells that were enjoyed by many.

A lot of work went into making the visit possible and staff and parent volunteers were invaluable to making it a huge success. A fantastic day was had by all!