We cover the whole of the UK although there may be some restrictions or additional costs depending on where your school is located and how many classes are involved in the workshops.
Frequently Asked Questions
We come to your school as it’s easier, more efficient, safer and significantly more cost effective for you. We don’t think it makes much sense for groups of school children to travel to a visitor centre by coach, and be charged an entrance fee, when we can deliver as good, if not a better experience without any commercial distractions.
A workshop can be either a full morning or afternoon with one class or a full day with one class. It would start immediately after registration through to morning break time and then continue until lunchtime or about 30 minutes before lunchtime if another class workshop is being run. This half-hour is ‘donated’ to the afternoon workshop in order to balance timings up as the afternoon school day is generally shorter than the morning. This arrangement may vary depending on your school day.
If three workshops are to be run during the day following an assembly group, then the school day is split into three sessions. We can work these timings out for you.
As the workshops are extremely interactive we run the workshops on a ‘per class’ basis, so that generally means anywhere between 18-30+ children at any one time. This ensures the highest possible educational standards are maintained as we’re able to keep all the children fully engaged.
The workshops are a carefully crafted cross-curricular, ‘chocolate journey’ and far more than just the normal bean to bar story. The main topic areas that are covered include:
- Key facts about chocolate
- Botany
- History
- Geography
- Cocoa bean harvesting process
- Sensory testing
- Health & wellbeing
- Practical chocolate making session
The process by which chocolate is actually made in a factory is covered throughout the workshop, at appropriate points, so as to keep this topic area relevant and interesting.
We certainly can. Please just email us using the ‘contact us’ page, and we’ll send it to you. If you let us know where your school is located and how many classes would be involved, we can provide you with a fixed cost at the same time.
That depends on a couple of factors, the most important being:
- Where your school is located
- How many classes are involved as we charge on a ‘per class’ basis
Once we’ve got these basic details, we can quickly provide you with a fixed cost and a timing plan (if needed) on how the workshops would run during the day.
Yes, the workshop leader is Enhanced DBS checked. They will present the original DBS document along with photo ID (driving licence) to the school office upon arrival when signing in.
We provide the school office with a VAT invoice on the day. This is processed in the normal manner so we will either get paid by cheque, via post, directly from your school or centrally via a BACS payment.
Food intolerances are very common and we take the matter seriously. We have a detailed understanding of the foods that we use when running a workshop. We have a ‘specification sheet’ which lists the ingredients of each and every food item we will be using as a quick reference document if needed. However, the main means of ensuring the children’s safety and well-being is our experience, expertise and knowledge of the foods we bring to the workshop.
Yes, we have wide experience working with children with differing forms of special educational needs both within a mainstream school environment and specialist SEN centres and schools. We’re more than happy to discuss any aspect of the workshop relating to SEN children prior to running the workshop.
Yes, that’s no problem at all, we have one already prepared. Please just ask and we’ll email it to you.
Yes, we have £5M Public Liability Insurance. Please just ask and we’ll email you proof of cover.
I always aim to arrive at schools between 8-8.20am to sign in and set up. I’m seldom later than this unless I’ve been caught up in a serious traffic incident and if this is the case, I’ll always call the school office to let you know. Unfortunately, and no matter how much time I allow, occasionally incidents to arise.
No, I’ll bring everything that’s needed. I use a USB memory stick so I’ll need the use of a PC and projector in the classroom(s) and hall (if the structure of the day involves an assembly group, which is generally only when I’m teaching 3 classes in one day).
We have a 5* food hygiene rating issued by our local council. Anything less than this wouldn’t be acceptable.
Still got a question?
No problem, we’re here to help! Please call us on 01455 451762 or use the ‘Contact us‘ form.