Councillor Russell, the Lead Member for Leisure and Arts, introduced a report setting out how it was proposed to respond to the motion moved at the meeting of the Council on 28 September 2022 requesting that the Museum should open for an extra hour on one evening a week to allow access for those secondary school pupils unable to get there before it closes at 4.00 p.m.

Councillor Russell explained that there was no current evidence of what pupils would want, use, or expect from the Museum.  It was therefore proposed to carry out a short survey of people between the ages of 11 and 18 in education to inform decisions going forward.  It was noted that:

·  The survey would ask questions about:

The current accessibility of the Museum in terms of opening hours, whether homework or course work required visiting the Museum and whether Saturday was a suitable day to visit for this age group;

The appetite for extended hours and how many hours/which days would be desirable; and

What other offers such as dedicated workspace, Wi-Fi, access to refreshments would encourage use.

·  The survey and a link to an on-line survey would be disseminated via social media, directly to secondary schools and through other groups such as the Maidstone Youth Forum.  The survey would be carried out during term-time to encourage participation.

·  There would be no cost to the Council in conducting the survey.

·  Using the results of the survey, staff would be able to identify what was really wanted and needed.  They would then implement a solution to meet the needs of the audience in consultation with the Lead Member, with a target date for implementation of February 2023.

During the discussion, it was suggested that the matter be raised with the Maidstone Museums’ Foundation which had links with local secondary schools.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.