The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has announced it’s offering free taster visits to teachers who may be considering a school visit to the popular heritage railway attraction during the upcoming season. Teachers can apply for a free family day ticket via www.nymr.co.uk/education-familiarisation-visits

For 2023, the NYMR will be offering a new and exciting programme of activities across the railway for schools, home school learning providers, young peoples’ groups and families.

Macey Palmer, Learning and Interpretation Officer at NYMR, says: “Education is at the forefront of our aims and aspirations, and so we are redefining our education offer for 2023, placing learning, interpretation, and community engagement at the heart of everything we do.

“We will provide learning opportunities that are not only immersive and interactive but that are more ambitious and dynamic, developed in collaboration with schools and other groups, to ensure our offer is both relevant and accessible.”

At the NYMR travel costs for educational groups for its 2023 season are £15 per adult, and all pupils (1:10 child ratio) up to the age of 16 travel free. This charge is per booking regardless of the length of journey.

There are a number of formal learning activities, including workshops and station trails, suitable for KS2 groups, including ‘Running on Time’, ‘The Signaller’s Challenge’, and ‘King Coal’, which have links to the National Curriculum and are cross-curricular, including subjects such as history, maths and geography.

The ‘Just the Ticket’ school trail is available for KS2 and upper KS1. In small groups, pupils can explore the station and solve puzzles in this cross-curricular trail to discover an anagram and have their ticket stamped. This station activity at Goathland Station is perfect for groups who need flexibility for their visit.

The heritage attraction also has an informal learning offer which includes station trails at Pickering Station. This trail focuses on exploration, finding clues and solving puzzles, and is great for enhancing learning about the Victorian period and STEM subjects. All NYMR learning activities can be paired with a journey on the train to really step into the immersive heritage railway experience.

To hear more about the NYMR’s new 2023 education programme, register your interest at nymr.co.uk/mail