Lesnes Abbey Education Sessions Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for taking an interest in the sessions we offer at Lesnes Abbey and please find below the answers to questions regarding our education sessions. If there any questions you find have not been answered please do not hesitate to email

 

Who runs the sessions?

Our education team is led by Stephanie Johnson (from North West Kent Countryside Partnership) along with her colleagues Nadine White and Michelle Hilless. Sessions with 60 children are led by two members of the team.

---

What facilities are available at the site?

Lesnes abbey is home to the lodge which is the space we use for the indoor portions of our
education sessions; it can fit two classes of 30 inside along with tables and chairs. There is also a sink and a disabled toilet and is the place where the children can eat lunch.

Outside the lodge is the park’s café where hot and cold drinks, lunches (paninis etc…) and snacks can be purchased. There are also public toilets for both males and females each with 3 cubicles. Surrounding the lodge are also picnic benches which can be used during warm weather for eating lunch outside. There are two fenced off grass areas either side of the monk’s garden near to the lodge which can also be used for schools wanting to eat outside.

There is no public parking directly on site, but spaces can be found along New Road and Abbey Road depending on parking restrictions. There are bus stops close to the park’s entrances and Abbey Wood Station is less than a 10-minute walk away. Please see map on page 2.

In September 2024 we opened the recently built outdoor classroom which is located in the woods near to New Road. This space can accommodate a single class (30 children) and has a parachute canopy to provide shelter.

---

What other resources does the site offer?

The site has many ponds which can be used for pond dipping, a variety of habitats for species
study/minibeast safaris, ancient and secondary woodland, a heathland, its own fossil pit where
shells and shark’s teeth can be found, along with the historic Lesnes Abbey ruins which were built by Richard de Luci in 1178 as penance for the murder of Thomas Becket.

---

How many children can you cater for?

For a single day with both a morning and afternoon session we can accommodate up to 60
children/2 classes. For schools wishing to bring more than 60 children/2 classes this has to be done across a minimum of 2 days depending on numbers.

---

How much do sessions cost?

Please see our website for our current costs

---

Payment

During the booking process your school will be asked to fill in a booking form which will allow Bexley Council to invoice you for your trip. Payment is usually not taken in advance of your school trip in case of any postponements or cancellations. Payment can also be taken via card payment over the phone or by cheque.

---

Postponed Sessions/Cancellations

In the unlikely event of hazardous weather (snow or severe storms), staff sickness or staff travel difficulties we will endeavour to let the school know as soon as possible that the trip will need to be postponed. In this case we will rearrange a new date with the school for their trip. If a new date cannot be rearranged, we will if payment has been taken refund the cost.

If a school needs to cancel or postpone their trip for any reason, we ask that they advise us of this as soon as possible ideally prior to the date of their trip. Any school who does not inform us of a cancellation prior to the date of their trip will be charged for the full cost of the trip to cover staff costs for setting up the lodge and getting activities prepared. Exceptions to this would be if a school is stuck on the day due to travel difficulties (e.g., train breakdown) and cannot make it. Our booking form has our full cancellation policy on it.

---

How long are sessions?

Each morning and afternoon session lasts between an hour and an hour and a half depending on the requirements of the school, age group and arrival and departure timings. We always endeavour to make sure the children get the maximum amount of time for each session as possible and happily tailor these to the school’s needs. For schools wishing to do just 1 activity with their classes the session lengths can potentially be extended/tailored if discussed during the booking process. For schools wishing to bring two classes of 30 children, each class will do one of the activities in the morning and then after lunch will swap to the other activity.

---

What is a typical timetable for the day?

10:00-10:30: schools arrive on site, welcome briefing and use of toilets
60-90 minutes: morning session/activity
30-45 minutes: lunch in the lodge—classes swap sessions
60-90 minutes: afternoon session/activity
14:00-14:30: schools depart site

---

How flexible are these timings?

The timetable above is only a rough guide and we can easily accommodate different timings
depending on the school’s requirements/ travel arrangements. We also work around any delays in arriving on site due to problems with travel. The earliest a school can arrive on site is 10:00am onwards due to our staff having to travel and setting up the lodge for the sessions. If no classroom set up is required e.g., visiting only the fossil pit, we could then accommodate earlier arrivals. Schools are more than welcome to arrive early if they wish to explore the site prior to the start of the sessions.

---

What days are available to book sessions?

The lodge which we use for our sessions is currently only free to be booked for school visits on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and some Thursdays. This is due to the lodge being used for other activities such as Yoga and Pilates during the week. If you wish to book a session that does not require the use of the lodge e.g., to go fossil hunting then we may be able to accommodate you on a day which isn’t a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Please contact to enquire about all bookings and availability.

---

What equipment is available for use in a session?

We have a range of equipment which we use for our sessions which includes but is not limited to; microscopes, tablets, compasses, maps, beakers, test tubes, sweep nets, id guides, den making materials, sieves and trowels.

---

Are risk assessments for the sessions available?

All risk assessments are written and carried out by our education team. They are available to be downloaded from our website or can be requested and sent via email. However please feel free to visit the site and conduct your own site visit/ assessment if you wish.

---

How many adults do we need to bring?

We ask that a minimum ratio of 1 adult is brought for every 6 children to ensure the proper
supervision and safety of the children coming to Lesnes Abbey. Staff and adult helpers from the school are required to remain with the children during the activities and at lunchtime.

---

Can we request a tailored session?

We are happy to tailor previously created sessions to make a new arrangement such as den making in the morning and orienteering in the afternoon if you wish to cover more topics in one day. But we are currently not creating any new sessions which would be heavily dependent on new resources / staff time.

---

What do we need to bring along to the sessions?

All children and adults should be appropriately dressed for the weather conditions and activities being taken part in. When activities involve being outdoors, we recommend wearing their own clothes rather than school uniform. We cannot provide any spare clothing such as waterproofs etc…

Suggested clothing and footwear are; waterproofs, clothing for wet and muddy conditions, trainers, walking boots or wellies, hats, gloves, scarfs, sun hats and sunglasses. In summer or sunny conditions please also bring sun cream. We also advise schools to provide their children with high visibility vests so they can be easily spotted when on site.

For sessions which involve walking through the site/going into the woods please advise parent helpers that taking prams into these areas is not practical.

All children and adults should bring their own packed lunch and water although some refreshments can be bought at the café and the sink can be used to top up water bottles.

First aid kits must also be brought along, and members of the school staff should have first aid training. Stephanie Johnson and Michelle Hilless are first aid at work trained.

---

Site Accessibility

The lodge is wheelchair and mobility aid accessible and has a disabled toilet with a changing table inside. Most of the site can be reached via paths although those in the woods can become very muddy and in places are rutted/uneven. The site is quite hilly which can make accessing areas for activities such as orienteering and fossil digging tiring. We recommend that any schools who may have children or adults with accessibility needs that they conduct a site visit prior to booking with us. Our staff when available would be happy to conduct the site visit with you so that we can advise suitability of the activities that take place during our sessions and make adjustments when able to. If our staff are unavailable to attend the site visit we are also happy to discuss arrangements via email or over the phone.