Information on Loughborough

Snibston is top of the class in the region for learning

Posted on 02/12/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Community Services

2 December 2009

Snibston is top of the class in the region for learning

As a leading regional learning institution, Snibston Discovery Museum has scooped a national award for providing top-notch educational experiences for schools that visit.

The Leicestershire County Council attraction in Coalville has been awarded the nationally-recognised ‘Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge’. It is the first recipient of the award in Leicestershire, and one of just two centres to receive the accolade across the whole region.

The Quality Badge assesses the learning provided and demonstrates a commitment to a consistently high standard of service, safety and support for visitors.

Snibston offers a full day of creative and inspiring learning activities for students of all ages throughout the interactive museum and Country Park.

In addition to the galleries and access to collections, it also provides a choice of high quality hands-on workshops and activities which support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in particular.

Built on the site of the former Snibston Colliery, Snibston is the largest science and technology museum in the East Midlands. It displays a wealth of nationally-important collections which celebrate the success of generations of local design and technology pioneers, allowing students to understand the impact that these technologies have had in shaping the world.

As a satellite venue for the East Midlands Science Learning Centre, over the past 17 years Snibston has worked closely with the universities of Loughborough, Leicester and Nottingham Trent, to deliver a wide range of learning programmes to students from across the region and further afield.

This was most recently demonstrated by the launch of its latest exhibition, In Sheep’s Clothing, which was the result of a partnership with Nottingham Trent University and the Fashion industry.

Cabinet Member for Museums at Leicestershire County Council Ernie White said: "Achieving the Quality Badge is a major endorsement of the quality of the learning experience that we have provided at Snibston during the last 17 years. As a major learning resource for students at all levels, we continue to be committed to playing a leading role in creating the region’s future engineers, designers and scientists."

For further information about making a visit call 01530 278 444 or visit www.snibston.com

**Ends**

Notes for the editor

1. For further information

Please contact Kath Perry, Learning Manager on 0116 305 3451 or Sarah Oakden-Nancarrow, Marketing Manager on 0116 305 3443

2. Snibston figures

In 2008/9 Snibston achieved 98,043 paying visitors, and almost 30,000 visitors to the country park and free exhibitions, and this year to date has seen a 4% increase in visitors. Year on year, since 2005 there has been a 37.6% increase in paid admissions.