Education

Our Education team are very happy to discuss your particular requirements. We offer a varied programme of introductory talks, guided tours, and hands-on experience.

School Visits

Be transported back in time over 120 years, to when steam powered engines were a common sight and were being used in all aspects of Victorian life. The Claymills Pumping Station was opened in 1885 to improve public health in Burton upon Trent and its surrounding area. Before 1885 more than half the households in Burton were still using buckets for all their toilet needs; this household waste, along with industrial waste from the town's famous breweries, flowed through open drains into the River Trent. Learn how Burton suffered its own "Great Stink" in the same year as London and how diseases such as cholera and typhoid resulted from the contaminated drinking water.

Visiting the Station in steam will provide a unique and unforgettable learning environment.

Visits can be linked to History, Geography, English, Science, Art and Design & Technology, and to cross-curricular themes. The Pumping Station offers a wealth of opportunity for learning outside the classroom and for the development of key skills.

The Pumping Station offers a varied programme of introductory talks, guided tours, role play sessions, workshops and 'hands on' learning. Our volunteer staff, who are competent, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and friendly, will help provide a valuable learning experience, as well as ensuring a safe and enjoyable time for everybody. The volunteers are CRB cleared. Visits to the station can be tailor made to take into account the time you have available, the number of pupils and the areas of learning that you would like to focus on. Children with special needs are most welcome.

A booklet has recently been produced by the Trust for primary/junior schools. It explains the relevance of the Pumping Station to elements of the Key Stage 2 syllabus. Schools can obtain copies by contacting our Education team.

For more information, please contact our Education team.