OCT Learning Programme: Virtual Experiences

Take a guided tour of the National Marine Aquarium, the UKs largest public Aquarium and home to over 4,000 amazing marine creatures with a member of our dedicated Schools Team from the comfort of your own classroom!

Your journey begins in our Plymouth Sound exhibit, where students will encounter some of our much loved, and most charismatic local life around the British Coasts. After this, they will move on to the largest tank in the whole of the United Kingdom – our Atlantic Ocean exhibit. Here, they will get a close-up look at our turtle, stingrays and sharks. The Tour continues on to our Blue Planet exhibits, where they will meet a wide variety of beautiful creatures that can be found in coral reefs across the world.

All tours are linked to the science curriculum and delivered by our fully trained Schools Officers, who will answer your students’ questions, and pose their own interesting questions to prompt and develop your students’ learning.

Key Information

• 90 minutes bespoke interactive tour with education professional
• Access to exclusive post tour lesson plans and downloadable resources
• Price £120 for a class up to 32 students (Including VAT)
• For additional classes to join the same tour, it’s £60 per additional class.

We offer three different Virtual Tour options:

Enchanted Seas (EYFS/KS1)

During this tour, students will:

• Observe the colours, patterns and shapes of creatures that are found in a range of Ocean habitats, including rockpools, sandy sea-beds, and coral reefs.
• Compare the structure of different Ocean creatures, learning about how they use their tails, fins and gills to survive beneath the waves.
• Discover how different animals are classified based on what they eat and understand what they need to survive.

Beneath the Waves (KS2)

During this tour, students will:

• Identify the adaptations of a variety of Ocean creatures across a range of habitats and discover predator-prey interactions between different species.
• Classify species based on their physical features and methods of reproduction.
• Discuss the importance of our Ocean, how humans are having an impact and what we can do to protect it.

Changing Seas (KS3/4)

During this tour, students will:

• Discover a variety of Ocean habitats and ecosystems, exploring the interactions between species and their environment and how they have evolved to survive.
• Discover what it’s like being a biologist at the Aquarium, learning about how they provide the animals with the correct nutrition and ensure a high level of water quality.
• Consider the impact that humans are having on our seas, including global warming and ocean acidification, and how conservation efforts are making a positive difference.

Support Resources

Each Virtual Tour booking comes with access to five exclusive cross-curricular post-tour workshop activities. These are perfect for extending the learning of your pupils, ideal should you wish to run an Ocean themed activity day for your class.

For more information on our Virtual Experiences, please click on the link below:

BOOK NOW

To arrange your Schools Virtual Tour, or find out more, contact our team at learning@oceanconservationtrust.org or call us direct on 01752 275 233

What do teachers think…

Really great interactive session – Joe allowed the students to ask questions throughout the tour. Was a lovely learning atmosphere and made the students smile and laugh. Really amazing experience!

Alice Gowans – Haberdashers Askes Hatcham College (London ) – Year 7 teacher

The children (and staff) absolutely loved it! They were fascinated by what they saw and our Tour Leader was extremely knowledge able and really enthusiastic, which the children loved!

Alison Richardson – Allenton Community Primary School (Derby) – Year 4 teacher

Joe was very knowledgeable and was incredible positive towards the children. We had a slight technical hitch but he sorted it swiftly.

Fleur Johnson – Weeth Primary School (Cornwall) – Year 5 teacher

FAQs