Home educators
Sparking curiosity and learning through discovery.
Home educators are always welcome at the Science Centre, with different options available for visiting to suit your preferences.
Monthly Home Educator Days are financially supported by the Science Centre charity, as are pre-booked home education group visits. Alternatively, consider an Annual Pass, which offers exceptional value for regular visitors.
See below for further information.
Home Education Groups
Home education groups with a minimum of 20 children are eligible to book the brand new all-inclusive school trip package. Find out more about the schools offer here and follow the booking process outlined.
Home Educator Families
Monthly Home Educator days are available for individual families, including those bringing younger siblings.
The Offer:
-Home educator families are welcome to visit the science centre from opening time onwards.
-Between 14:00 and 15:00, our brilliant team of Inspirers will be on hand to answer questions. The Invention Studio will also be open for Home Educators, where you can get creative with some hands-on challenges and activities.
-At 3:15pm we offer a live, presenter-led show, The Magical Mystery Tour, aimed specifically at home educator families and tailored by the presenter to be suitable for the ability/interests of the audience. This show can be added to admission for £3.50 per child with the (one) supervising adult going free. Additional adults pay standard rate.
Further Information:
Please be aware that the centre will be shared with school groups until 14:00, so it may be busy during this time.
Whilst the Science Centre is still open to the public on these days, from 14:00 the schools will have left and almost everyone in the venue is expected to be a Home Educator.
There will be live planetarium shows and educational fulldome films running for schools earlier in the day. If there are spaces available, home educator families can book into these planetarium shows upon arrival at the Centre but please be aware that school shows carry an age restriction and are only available for children aged 4 and above.
There is no age restriction for public planetarium shows. However, please be aware that some younger siblings may find the planetarium rather overwhelming. We do ensure the show environment is as relaxed as possible so younger members of the audience feel comfortable to call out, ask questions or talk to their family about what they see. Just be aware that you may need to exit if they don't enjoy the experience and if so, other children may not be left unsupervised.
Home Educator ID is not required for entry before 3pm.
Children must be supervised at all times.
Home educator family groups must include:
- At least one child of school age (5-18 yrs, or 4 yrs if their next birthday is 31 Aug or earlier).
- One supervising adult
Home-educated children who look younger than school age may need to provide proof of age. Younger siblings within the home-educated child’s family are welcome at the same special rate.
Admission for home educator families:
Children (3-18 yrs): £7.50 (25% off normal admission price)
Children (0-2 yrs): free
Supervising adult: free (one per group)
Additional adults: standard rate
We recommend booking in advance booking for our Home Educator Days using the link below.
Home Educator Days
2019 dates:
- Tuesday 17 December
2020 dates:
- Tuesday 11 February
- Thursday 19 March *CANCELLED*
- Wednesday 29 April
- Monday 18 May
If you have an enquiry, please call 01962 863791 or email education@winchestersciencecentre.org
Your feedback on our home educator programme is always welcome. Please contact education@winchestersciencecentre.org
Annual passes
Many of our Home Educator visitors buy Annual Passes to allow them to visit the exhibition whenever suits, and to take full advantage of all the free-with-entry special events that occur in holiday periods. Find out more here.