School FAQs

Sessions in Schools

 

How do I book a session? 

Please email schoolsmanager@trentparkhouse.org.uk with your details.   

What should I expect in the session? 

Our sessions are one hour in length and are led by a facilitator from Freshwater Theatre Company who will use different approaches, in and out of character, to explore the topic through a range of interactive drama techniques and historical enquiry activities.  

Are sessions open to all schools?`

At present, we are only offering workshops to schools within the London Boroughs of Enfield and Barnet.

How many children can take part? 

The session is designed for 30 students and this limit preserves the quality of the session, ensuring the full participation and enjoyment of all students present. If you would like more than 30 students to take part, please ask us about booking more than one session. A minimum 20-minute gap is needed between sessions.  

 

What are the space requirements for a session taking place in school? 

The session is highly interactive, so we’ll need a large clear space (like a hall or drama studio) to run the session. The students will spend a lot of time ‘on their feet’ and will need enough space to freely move around. It may not be possible to run the session in a small classroom. Please contact schoolsmanager@trentparkhouse.org.uk if you have any questions or concerns. We do not require the use of a whiteboard or any other tech. 

 

How much adult supervision is needed? 

Although the session is led by our facilitator, we ask that at least one member of staff known to the children is present and responsive throughout the session, to guide the students as needed and support management of behaviour. Staff may also be able to assist with points in the session when students are working in small groups: sorting the practicalities quickly enables more time to focus on the content!    

 

What if we need to cancel our session? 

Thanks to funding support, the costs of developing our new learning programme are covered at present, enabling us to offer a limited number of sessions to local schools for free. Bookings can therefore be cancelled without penalty; however we do ask for as much notice as possible. If you would like to reschedule a session we will endeavour to find a new date but this may not always be achievable.  

 

What happens on the day? 

It is helpful if the facilitator can park close to the school (this can be discussed in advance). The facilitator will need approximately 20 minutes to set up in the space before the session begins. They will also need a minimum of 20 minutes between sessions (if more than one class is booked), and 10 minutes to pack away at the end. For the session, it is helpful if students can wear name labels (first name only).   

 

How can we prepare for the session in advance? 

The story of the Secret Listeners of Trent Park House is complex, and some background knowledge of the context is helpful (e.g. Second World War; the Jewish experience; migration; wartime intelligence). Students will get the best experience of the session if they have had the opportunity to understand some of this context in advance. Our learning resources (link to page) for Key Stage 2 help teachers and students to cover the important points and key vocabulary. For Key Stage 2 bookings, we also provide a bag of clues and a suggested structure to help build students’ curiosity and pre-session knowledge. This can be adapted to your setting and need not be hugely time consuming but if you have not had time to introduce the topic to your students, please do let us know. 

 

What happens after the session? 

We would love to hear your thoughts; please send us your feedback! We also welcome any photos that you can share with permission, including via school social media channels. To embed the students’ learning you may wish to use some of our learning resources to follow up and delve into the topic more deeply with your students.  

 

When can we visit the site? 

The museum at Trent Park House is currently being installed and is due to open by summer 2026. You can join our mailing list for regular updates. Before the site opens you can book a session to take place in your school subject to availability.