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.

All our workshops are bespoke for each setting and can be adapted for ages 4 to 18, and for students with additional needs.

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.

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.

At Platform, we are committed to offering an entirely inclusive experience, and will do everything possible to support students with additional needs.

Our delivery staff are all experienced, qualified teachers with access to expertise both in the education sector and 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.

All our workshops are bespoke for each setting and can be adapted for students with additional needs.

You can read about some our work with Special Schools this year here.

All our services to the schools we support are free.

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.

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! The scheme area covers Worcestershire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North-East Somerset – please see our interactive map for a clear picture of the areas we can work with!

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.

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
• journey planning
• history of transport

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.

Visit our Workshops page to find out more.

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 workshops 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.
• The new mandatory PSHE curriculum for all pupils in England from September 2026, emphasizes and makes compulsory the importance of educating young people about rail safety to reduce incidents involving children and young people. Our offer ensures that these requirements are met.

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.

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 and browse our News and Events page for inspiration.

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.

Platform is lucky to receive funding from Great Western Railway, Cross Country, South Western Railway 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.

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.

Read our Journey Tips for more advice on travelling by train with a school group.

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.

Though not ideal and incredibly rare, cancellations can happen.

If cancellations are made within a timeframe to adjust and advance notice has been given, we will try to work with the school and train operating company to reschedule at a later date.

However, if this isn’t possible, the assigned Learning Development Officer will work with the point of contact from the school, as well as the relevant person/s from the Train Operating Company to rearrange travel to/from their destination in order to maximise the safety of the party, as well as reduce the possibility of any disruption caused in continuing in providing the relevant service for those involved.

Due to the varying and unpredictable reasons/locations/timings of such an event (were it to occur), the consultation and communication with the staff at the school would be to find a solution that best fits the school and the needs of their students.

Where possible, trips will not be planned on routes where engineering work is scheduled. We work closely with the relevant TOC (Train Operating Company) to be made aware and avoid these routes.

However, in the unlikely scenario that a rail replacement bus service has been chartered due to unforeseen circumstances, we will endeavour to proceed with the trip utilising the bus service. This will of course be communicated to the Point-of-contact at the earliest available time, with continued dialogue with the TOC to ensure the appropriate safety and support provisions are made for the students travelling on the appointed replacement.

Please be aware that when seat belts are present we will be adhering to best practice, encouraging and ensuring that students are utilising this feature when available. Whether utilising bus or rail, we will ensure compliance within the framework of the law at all times.

Our resources are to be used in education for the benefit and development of all learners.

Feel free to use these where helpful; within units of work, as stand alone lessons, assemblies etc. adapting them where appropriate for the needs of your setting and group needs/sizes.