These timings are for example purposes only; your exact timings, including timings of toilet breaks, may differ on the day.

10:00 - You arrive at Butser and are welcomed by the education team member who will be guiding your group for the day. We’ll also give you a quick safety brief.

10:30 - You are guided to our Stone Age area and given an introductory talk on the Stone Age.

11:00 - You get hands-on with your first two workshops. You’ll also have a chance to use the toilet during this time.

12:15 - Lunch time! You’ll eat your lunch outside in our historic surroundings, or round the fire in one of our historic buildings if it’s wet.

1:00 - We gather back up for your last two workshops. You can also visit the toilet during this time if you need.

2:15 - A chance to practice maths in our gift shop with a quick and orderly visit, organised by our staff.

2:30 - Home time!

Butser Ancient Farm is a fully-accessible, rustic site, with gentle slopes and packed gravel pathways. All our buildings are fully accessible, except for a small mezzanine area in the Roman Villa. For more information, including a sensory description of each area, please see our accessibility page here 🡒

Our education team has extensive experience working with SEN students and groups, and is skilled at matching delivery to each individual’s needs.

We have private rooms available on request. Unfortunately we do not currently have a Changing Places Toilet on site.

Our school trips at Butser are flexible to suit KS1, KS2, KS3, and KS4 students. Our activities are suitable for all ages, and are pitched according to the age and stage of your students.

Your school trip will cover several areas of the National Curriculum for history, as well as key areas of other subjects including science, maths, and design and technology.

Some example areas include:

All: Continuity and change, British history, developing understanding of historical terms and concepts (eg civilisation, archaeology), local history, chronology of early history

Key Stage 1: Lives of significant individuals (eg Boudicca), local historical events, people and places of significance

Key Stage 2: Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain, Britain’s settlements by Anglo-Saxons, Viking and Anglo-Saxon conflict, the creation of the Kingdom of England, local history study, achievements of early civilisations (eg Romans)

Key Stage 3: Extending chronological themes in British history from before 1066, Britain’s changing landscape and political powers in the Iron Age through to the Viking era, study into a significant turning point (eg Neolithic Revolution, Roman invasion), study of a site in local history from before 1066

Key Stage 4/GCSE history: Ancient history, migration of early peoples, Roman Empire and invasion, early developments in technology, greater understanding of archaeological disciplines

We will split your students into teaching groups of up to 30, each led by a dedicated member of our education team. The groups may rotate through the activities, but every child will have a chance to do every activity you have picked for your school trip.

You are welcome to bring as many adults as you need for free. We maintain a ratio of 1:30 Butser staff to students; we recommend you aim for a 1:10 ratio adults to students.

Butser Ancient Farm is an open-air archaeology museum and working farm in Hampshire. We feature buildings reconstructed from real UK archaeology, and cover the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon, and Viking periods.

Our buildings feature open fires, and we have a variety of animals on site. We operate whatever the weather, and will relocate you inside a historic building if it’s too wet!

We strongly recommend that you visit us for a free pre-visit before your school trip. We require teachers to create their own risk assessment for the trip on top of our existing risk assessments for the site and workshops, and this pre-visit is a great opportunity for you to assess risks and get to know the site ahead of your trip.

Once you’ve booked your school trip, we will walk you through the process to book your free pre-visit. Please be sure to bring your teacher ID with you.

Butser Ancient Farm is in East Hampshire, between London and Portsmouth. We are conveniently located just off the A3, with free parking available on site. Get directions on Google Maps 🡒

We recommend travelling to us by coach. We are a 1hr45 drive from central London, and a 25 minute drive from Portsmouth.

Our nearest train station is Petersfield. There is a bus that runs from the station to near Butser, but we don’t recommend taking it as the route includes a walk along a dangerous road.

We will invoice you after your trip for the number of students on your booking, or the number who attended on the day, whichever is higher. Payments after 30 days will incur a surcharge of £50.

Our minimum charge is equivalent to the cost of 20 pupils +VAT.

Cancellations made at least one month in advance, or where the school trip is rebooked for the same academic year, do not incur a cancellation fee.

Cancellation fees are:

25% of the visit cost +VAT if the cancellation is made within 30 days of your trip

50% +VAT if it is made within 14 days of your trip

100% +VAT if it is made within 24 hours of your trip

All cancellations must be made in writing.

In the unlikely event that we are forced to cancel your trip, we will make every attempt to rearrange for another date. Cancellations are extremely rare and usually only in the case of extreme weather or government ruling.