Teachers & Group Leaders

Teachers
There are many educational opportunities at Oare Gunpowder Works and a class visit will support many areas of the National Curriculum. This website offers resources to complement a visit by Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils. Many of these resources can be adapted for use with older students and teachers will find a preliminary visit will trigger many ideas.

See our new areas of study leaflet.

Teachers wishing to plan a visit should contact Groundwork Kent & Medway on gkm@groundwork.org.uk (01634 855166) to find out more about booking and what we can offer. Alternatively you can complete the booking form on the site and send direct to Groundwork who will confirm your booking. The tutor will be familiar with the Oare Gunpowder Works and will lead the day, enabling all to have a greater understanding of the history and wildlife on site. You will also be able to use the classroom in the visitor centre and the centre resources.

Prices

Supervised visits - with a member of the Education team:

* All accompanying adults are free*

Unsupervised visits but with access to the Visitor Centre:

One off our staff will come and open the Visitor Centre, giving you access to the classroom, toilets and the wildlife and historical information which is displayed inside the centre for up to an hour and a half. There is a small charge of £25 for this. (If you require use of the facilities for longer this can be arranged but an additional charge may be made - please enquire)

* (Schools will be invoiced for payment after their visit)

• There is a large car park beside the visitor centre with space for two coaches
• The site is ideal for smaller groups, however we can accommodate larger groups and two classes on the same day with prior arrangement.
• The visitor centre will be open to the public and your group on the day of your visit. There are displays explaining how gunpowder was made at Oare and reflecting the part the Works played in the development of Faversham. These displays also include information about the manufacture of Gunpowder in the United Kingdom. There are also displays explaining more about the different kinds of wildlife and plants found on the site.
• The visitor centre includes a small classroom, which can be used by visiting groups or schools.
• Packed lunches can be eaten outside on the grass, adjacent to the visitor centre or within the centre. We ask that you please plan low-rubbish lunches and take your rubbish home with you.
• There are toilets both within the visitor centre and in the car park, suitable for disabled users.
• The centre is resourced with basic equipment for all the activities we offer and our video microscope can be used to inspect minibeasts more closely, using our classroom projection system. Your tutor will help you to plan your activities for during the visit.
• The surfaced trails around the site are colour coded. They will lead you around through the woodland past the remains of the buildings. Different trails pass close to the massive walls of the Corning House, alongside the canals (or leats), across the Marshland Boardwalk and onto the viewing deck of the millpond. Other trails lead to the firing range and through the open grassland.

You can find out more about these by clicking the virtual tour link. At Oare Gunpowder Works each trail is well signed and explores important areas of the site. Choose one that suits the time you have available and explore. Please observe the safety barriers close to the water and high walls.

At key points throughout the site there are interpretation panels helping to interpret the site. Reflecting the unique blend of wildlife and history the boards include old photographs of buildings and comments about the wildlife present in the area.

Within this website there are PDF activity sheets that can be used by children before, during and after a visit. Visit teacher resources and choose the ones you want to use. Whilst the wildlife activity sheets are designed to support practical field studies, the historical sheets challenge pupils to observe carefully and sometimes hunt through interpretation boards for answers.

Additionally there are animations that provide a greater understanding of Oare Gunpowder Works. Some can be undertaken before a visit but the quick Quizzes should be more useful after a day at Oare Gunpowder Works. Click the Fun and Games link to find out more.

There is a Risk Assessment (Risk Assessment.pdf) which covers all of the activities which take place at Oare. We do advise any staff to complete a preliminary site visit prior to their trip and complete their own risk assessment. This is an outdoor site with maintained footpaths and car parking areas. There are areas of open water, high brick walls and possibly muddy areas off trail. Pupils should be dressed for outdoor activities and under the supervision of a responsible adult.

Click the How to Get Here link to locate Oare Gunpowder Works in Kent.

Wildlife (Science) Education Information PDFs

Key:
TG = Teachers' Guide
ID = Identification Sheets
W = Wildlife Worksheets

• Wildlife Educational Opportunities at Oare (pdf)
• National Curriculum Links (pdf)
  
  
• TG1 My minibeast databank display example (pdf)
• TG2 The use of trees at Oare Gunpowder Works (pdf)
• TG3 Tree Seed Dispersal-a teachers guide (pdf)
  
  
• ID1 What's this minibeast called? (pdf)
• ID2 Identifying Trees from Leaves(pdf)
• ID3 What type of seed have I found?(pdf)
• ID4 Freshwater Minibeast ID guide (pdf)
• ID5 Freshwater Minibeast ID guide2 (pdf)
• ID6 Flower Identification Sheet (pdf)
  
  
• W1 Minibeast observations (pdf)
• W2 Surviving at Oare (pdf)
• W3 Finding Minibeasts (pdf)
• W4 Comparing two habitats (pdf)
• W5 Looking at Minibeasts(pdf)
• W6 How many minibeasts (pdf)
• W7 An Insect has (pdf)
• W8 Minibeast food chains (pdf)
• W9 Wildlife at Oare Gunpowder Works (pdf)
• W10 Pond animal observations (pdf)
• W11 Pond Food Chains (pdf)
• W12 How to find out the age of a tree (pdf)
• W13 How to find out the age of a tree (pdf)
• W14 Tree seed distribution (pdf)
• W15 The use of trees at Oare Gunpowder Works (pdf)

History Education Information PDFs

Key:
TG = Teachers' Guide
H = History Worksheets

• History Educational Oportunities at Oare (pdf)
• National Curriculum Links (pdf)
  
  
• TG4 The late gunpowder explosion at Faversham 1847 (pdf)
• TG5 Gunpowder manufacture (pdf)
• TG6 Matchlock and Flintlock muskets (pdf)
• TG7 Useful to teachers websites and publications (pdf)
  
  
• H1 The Great Explosion (pdf)
• H2 Why build a gunpowderworks at Oare? (pdf)
• H3 Gunpowder Testing (pdf)
• H4 Gunpowder a recipe for disaster (pdf)
• H5 The transportation of gunpowder (pdf)
• H6 Transporting gunpowder by water (pdf)
• H7 Workers at Oare Gunpowder Works (pdf)

Leaders of other Groups
It is hoped that youth groups and special interest groups will visit Oare Gunpowder Works either for the day or as part of a tour of local centres. Contact Groundwork Medway Swale on gkm@groundwork.org.uk/a> to find out about opening times and the help of a tutor-guide.
Guided tours are available depending on staff availability. A donation would be appreciated to cover running and upkeep costs.

It is possible that local historians, acting as volunteers, may be able to offer guided tours. Contact the Faversham Society on www.faversham.org for more information.

Back to Top ^

Wildlife PDFs
Wildlife Educational Opportunities at Oare (pdf)
National Curriculum Links (pdf)

History PDFs
History Educational Opportunities at Oare (pdf)
National Curriculum Links (pdf)

Contact Details
gkm@groundwork.org.uk

Other Websites
www.faversham.org

Change Text Size

A A A