FAQs
We can’t wait to hear from you!
You can contact the team via info@raileducation.org.uk or you can go to our Meet the Team page in order to find further contact details.
At Platform, we are committed to offering an entirely inclusive experience, and will do everything possible to support students with additional needs.
There is an experienced, qualified SENCo on the team, and there is the option for us to work with travel mentors within the train operating companies.
At the point of booking with us, we will encourage you to share any individual needs of students, allowing us to devise a plan that makes the day accessible.
It is our belief that all young people should have the opportunity to try train travel, and so we are not selective about what age groups we work with.
However, we recognise that students in Year 5 and 6 may be an age group that is likely to embark on more independent travel, and so we are especially keen to try and work with these ages, especially before they start secondary school.
Our original lessons are mainly aimed at children in KS2 and KS3, initially, but this is something we hope to expand as the scheme develops.
We are teachers. We understand the demands that the curriculum puts on schools and teachers and appreciate, therefore, that it is not always easy to engage in opportunities that do not link to the curriculum.
Therefore, the Platform offer is specifically designed to have strong curriculum links in the following ways:
- All of our resources have strong learning objectives that tie to a specific national curriculum target.
- Our offer has several ways in which it meets the new guidance from the government for sustainability in schools.
- Our rail safety education delivery has strong ties with the personal safety aspect of the PSHE curriculum, along with covering aspects of citizenship and healthy living.
- Our meaningful destination commitment means we are able to offer a range of educational experiences, tied in with our rail familiarisation trip, that can link with curriculum objectives.
Definitely not!
Platform are an entirely inclusive organisation and we are keen to work with any school, or educational establishment, in the scheme area, who want to work with us!
It is our belief that all students, across all aspects of education, can benefit from being educated about safe, sustainable, healthy travel choices and, as a result, we are not selective about who we work with.
The Platform team are able to take schools out on complimentary rail travel on the understanding that the trip will incorporate rail education, including rail safety, rail etiquette, and rail confidence.
The Platform team are able to come into schools free of charge and deliver a range of interactive, educational, fun workshops.
The Platform website offers free resources and information, all of which can be accessed with no obligation to sign up.
We can help!
Feedback from teachers has already prepared us for the idea that some schools don’t want to just get straight back on a train and head back.
We have a range of options for rail-familiarisation trips that can offer a free, meaningful experience before we head back on the return leg of the journey.
Talk to the team to find out more about our school-visit options.
Platform is lucky to receive funding from Great Western Railway, Cross Country, and The Community Rail Network.
Thanks to the joint funding provided by these organisations, Platform are able to work with schools at no cost to the schools themselves.
Our scheme covers a wide area across the South-West of England.
Please explore our interactive map to discover where we are, and where we can take you.
We have a number of options for places to visit and activities to do with school groups – as part of their rail-familiarisation experience. Contact the team for further information about our destinations.
Absolutely! Whilst the responsibility for writing risk assessments remains with the school, as the people best placed to understand the different needs of their students, we are here to help.
We can provide guidance on your risk assessments for group train travel, and assist in identifying specific risks.
Please get in touch with the team for further help.
Our exciting in-school workshops are tailored to meet the specific needs of your students.
We offer workshops on:
- rail safety, confidence, and etiquette
- sustainable and healthy travel
- careers in the rail industry
Our workshops can be delivered as individual sessions, or we can incorporate all three areas into one workshop.
We can offer workshops for students from KS1 to KS5, and endeavour to make them inclusive, interactive, and interesting.
Group ticketing options are available from all train operating companies.
For travel with GWR , please visit: https://www.gwr.com/your-tickets/ways-to-save/group-travel
For travel with CrossCountry, please visit: https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/tickets/group-bookings
For travel with West Midlands Trains, please visit: https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/tickets-discounts/discounts/groupsave-save-13
Alternatively, get in touch with the Platform team; we would be delighted to provide assistance.
Absolutely!
We can come in and deliver one of our exciting workshops, and you can still get involved in rail-education by using the resources on this website.
Platform is unable to arrange transport between a school and its closest station but, if you are able to get to a train station yourselves, we can arrange a rail-familiarisation trip for your students.
