Bookings and Costs
Costs of visits
All bookings made before the end of March 2013 will be charged at the price that has been frozen for the past two years (£200 per class). However, any bookings taken after this date will have to be charged at £250 per class in order to cover the increase in our costs during the past two years.
You could choose to bring two classes on the same day. As well as being able to provide the same visit for both classes, we are also able to offer a mixture of class visits; tailoring the day to meet the needs of both of your classes.
To get the most out of your day we recommend arriving at 9.30 and leaving at 2.30. Longer or shorter hours can be accommodated - we will fill whatever time you have available with fun, hands on and engaging activities.
Booking a visit
Making a booking
- Phone, email or fax the Centre to obtain an available date/s.
- Complete and submit the Booking Form as an email attachment to hkeec@kent.gov.uk.
- Fill in your Educational Visits paperwork. You do not need to register the trip with Kent LA: we have special clearance because we are Kent's Environmental Centre and have our LotC Quality Badge.
For further information and guidance about safety issues, please refer to KCC guidelines entitled 'Regulation and Guidance for Safe Practice of Offsite activities' - Read our Risk Management Plan and be prepared to act upon the instructions to ensure a low risk trip. Safety measures outlined in the plan are informed by our Risk Assessment.
- Share the Day Visit Information with the children and your accompanying adults. This will be sent out with the confirmation of your visit.
- On the day of thBring a register of children attending the centre.
During the visit
The class teachers are ultimately responsible for the discipline of their pupils on or off-site for the duration of the visit.
Gift Shop
If the children would like to bring a little spending money they can visit our small shop at lunchtime. Price list
Cancellation policy
Centre places are in high demand. Places which are cancelled need to be offered to other schools as soon as possible.
- If schools give more than 8 weeks notice of cancellation, there will be no charge, as this should allow enough time for another school to take up the cancellation.
- For cancellations of less than 8 weeks (including school holidays) in advance of the visit which has been booked, the full cost of the day will be charged.
- In certain exceptional circumstances, for example, severe weather conditions , schools should speak to the head of the Centre directly.
The centre is in the quiet village of Horton Kirby with excellent transport connections. The easiest route to the Centre is via Eglantine Lane off the A20, the route is shown in yellow on the map.
Possible coach companies
The Centre has negotiated reduced hire charges for visiting classes. The following companies may be able to offer a discount depending on locality of school in relation to their secondary pupil pick ups and time of hire:
Kent Top Travel Tel. 0845 365 8294 or 01622 605935 enquiries@kenttoptravel.co.uk
Bookline Coaches - info@brooklinecoaches.co.uk Tel 01732 845656
Go Coaches - info@go-coach.co.uk Tel: 01322 668090
Gemini Coaches - enquiries@geminicoaches.co.uk Tel: 020 8857 9765
New Enterprise - Chris Lawrence Tel: 01732 350509
Kent Passenger Services (In-house) - Christina O`Sullivan Tel: 01622 605935
Struggling to find a cheap enough coach company??
Find your route to the centre on public transport by
visiting Transport Direct's journey planner for a door-to-door plan.
Travelling by local bus
The 414 travels between Dartford and Horton Kirby: timetable and route information. Further information can be found on the Arriva website.
Travelling by train
You could travel to Farningham Road Train Station where you will be met by a staff member of the Centre. This is just a 15 minute walk to the river environment, or 30 minute walk to the Centre (taking in many interesting geographical features and historical sites on the way).