Tours for Schools

Learning Objectives

Experience the highlights of car production in approximately 100 minutes: from the so-called ‘Body-in-white’, the bodyshell, to the finished, personalised MINI. You will visit the state of the art plant and see how thousands of parts come together to produce up to 800 MINIs per day. And we take a look into the future: what will the mobility of tomorrow look like? Pupils will discover how robots and people work together and learn about lean manufacturing. Your class will also have the opportunity to find out more about different career opportunities at Oxford.

Booking

School groups and students qualify for the reduced rate of the tours. You can select this price during booking.

Groups larger than 15 people will need to be split into smaller groups to be taken around the plant.

To book your group in, please follow these steps:

1. Book your group tickets here, selecting your preferred tour date.
2. To book the first group of 15 people, click on ‘add participant’ (where ‘participant’ refers to a group of 15), fill in your data and then save. 
3. To book more groups click on “add participant” again and then “go to cart”.

Alternatively, you can contact us via the mail info@visit-bmwgroup.com and we will make a reservation for you that you can pay via the payment link in the invoice within two weeks.

Please note before visiting our plant

• Schools can book any Group Tours. All tour formats are suitable for school classes and are conducted in an easy-to-understand way. The Basic Tours are 100 minutes long.
• We can accommodate coaches and mini-buses as there are plenty of parking spaces available. The parking spaces are all free of charge. Parking spaces for coaches are allocated on-site, so please report briefly to the Visitor Centre upon arrival. There is a small bike park for up to 8 bikes.
• Larger groups can enhance their tour experience by arranging to use their own coach for the tour. Simply send an e-mail to info@visit-bmwgroup.com.
• Student groups aged 11 and over are permitted to enter the school tours. Pupils must be accompanied by two adults per group.
• Restrooms can be used before or after the tour. There is no separate eating area. 
• Plant Oxford has a small souvenir shop with a limited selection of products on site. You can find more merchandise in the MINI Lifestyle Shop.

Accessibility

• Please note that this is a walking tour and a certain level of mobility is required to cover the distance around the site.
• Please contact us in advance if your group has any health or mobility impairments. You can indicate this in a comment field at the end of the booking process.
• The tour is wheelchair accessible, but it is necessary that the person in the wheelchair can at least get on the bus and walk a few steps independently. Upon arrival of the bus, we will provide a foldable wheelchair for the duration of the tour, you can leave your own wheelchair at the Visitor Centre. No electric wheelchair may be brought along. Whether your own wheelchair can be used on the tour can only be determined on-site. (subject to availability, must be able to be lifted into the bus). An accompanying person will have to push the wheelchair during the tour; carers can buy reduced tickets. The narrowest doorway/pathway is 0.82m wide.
• Assistive listening technology can be provided for individuals with reduced ranges of hearing (Inductive Neck Loops)
• Please note that electromagnetic radiation is used in one of our halls, which may affect the function of medical devices such as insulin pumps, or pacemakers and could pose risks for pregnant people. Pupils with medical devices can still take part in the tours but the teacher should let the guide know so he can consult the pupil which areas are to be avoided.

Risk Information MINI Plant Oxford

The site at Oxford fully complies with all forms of risk identification and registration internally and we can provide support if specific information is required. To request more risk information or liability insurance, please write an e-mail to our booking centre at info@visit-bmwgroup.com.

The tour of the factory operations have been fully risk assessed. There are requirements within the risk register, itemised below to ensure that the visit is safe and relevant safeguards are in place.

Risk-related rules of conduct

• No open-toe shoes are permitted on site. The tour is on foot and involves walking up open mesh stairs, so sensible footwear is advised.
• Long-sleeved clothing is recommended for the tour due to sparks.
• Protective eye wear will be issued and must be worn as instructed. 
• All materials present potential risks, such as contamination and causing cuts. Please refrain from touching any production materials.

Special instructions for schools

Please note that the supervision of minors is the responsibility of the accompanying adults. Under 16s cannot enter the plant without the supervision of an accompanying adult. The tour guide does not assume any supervisory responsibility. 

We recognise the level of planning cannot eliminate all the risks associated with a school trip. However, it can allow teachers to identify key risks and ensure the children and the environment that surrounds them can co-exist in a safe and productive manner that the visit is safe, whilst recognising the inherent risks of a live production environment.

Cancellation Conditions

• Tickets can be cancelled free of charge or rebooked for another date up to 14 days before the tour date, after which point the full ticket price will be charged as a cancellation fee.
• If you wish to rebook or cancel a booked tour, please contact our booking centre at info@visit-bmwgroup.com. 
• Tours that have already been booked may be limited or cancelled for operational reasons. In this case, the price of your guided tour will be refunded.
• Should it not be possible to conduct a guided tour due to unforeseen circumstances, the tour must be cancelled.

Contact

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at info@visit-bmwgroup.com or speak to your guide before the tour begins.

Behavior

Please note that the MINI Plant Oxford is a fully operational factory. For everyone’s safety, we kindly ask that all pupils follow our guidelines – especially those relating to safety, which the guide will explain at the start of the tour. It’s important that pupils keep a safe distance from the machinery and avoid distracting our associates as they work. We also appreciate the support of chaperones in helping ensure that everyone behaves responsibly throughout the visit.