Frequently Asked Questions
We are pleased to provide advice and support and would encourage you to contact us if you have any enquiries regarding training or loans and sales.
However, for your convenience you may find the answer you are looking for in our list below.
I have a question about...
General Enquiries and Advice
Q: Do you have any clothes or music that we can borrow to support our theme on…?
A: Please look through the images of our collections to see if anything is suitable. If you are after anything specific please contact us and we can see what we can find for you. Remember, our collections are extensive and diverse so there’s always the chance that we will have what you want…
We have an extensive range of country based collections and themed boxes that contain everyday objects such as clothes, books and music. We also have three main music collections as well as an Early Years Music Box. Please contact us and we will try to find the right thing to suit your needs.
Q: I am a SCITT student / Scout Leader / Play worker / Early Years practitioner. How can you help me?
A: We provide special reduced rates for loans to SCITT students , NQTs and those who work within the Early Years, so there is even more reason to make the most of our services! Other groups can loan resources from us at the standard DEED rate.
If you subscribe you can receive special rates on all loans and exclusive offers.
We also provide bespoke training and activities to meet your needs. Contact us and we can discuss your requirements and tailor a package to suit you.
Q: Can you recommend a World Music Artist to come to my school or playgroup?
A: Click here to go to the Artists page of our website. Please remember that it is the hirer’s responsibility to check an Artist’s CRB details. All Artists should also have Public Liability insurance and again it is up to the hirer to check this prior to engagement.
Q: I’m planning an assembly / display / workshop on ….. Have you got any ideas to help?
A: Please call us or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your specific needs and we will endeavour to help. Don’t forget to provide us with as much information as possible about the event, theme, your school day, the training that you require and who will be attending. The more we know, the better placed we will be to help you.
Resource Collections
Q: How do I book resource collections or other resources?
A: If you know exactly what you want and when you would like to have it/them, then please phone us or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to check availability. If your requested items are available we will reserve them for you and give you a date when you can collect them.
Q: How much does it cost to borrow a resource box or some books?
A: We have two price brackets for most of our
Q: How do we pay for loans?
A: Once you have reserved your loans, an invoice will be sent out to you or your organisation. The invoice will ask for two cheques: one to cover the total cost of the loan and one to act as a deposit. If all items are returned complete and on time, the deposit cheque will be returned to you after the items have been checked back into DEED. If you subscribe to DEED then we will not require a deposit cheque.
Q: I see you have a box on …. Is it available?
A: Please phone or
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to check availability of boxes and
Q: I’m doing
A: First of all it’s good to remember that just as
DEED would recommend a country–based approach – or to focus on a region when planning an
Q: I’m doing this theme ….. What resources do you have?
A: If you have a generic ‘Help!!’ type question, please phone or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will do our best to discuss your needs and find resources or a Resource Collection to help you. If we are unable to find anything for you within our Resource Centre, we may be able to put you in contact with other organisations who might better meet your needs.
Questions about Fairtrade
Q: What can you do for us for Fairtrade Fortnight?
A: In terms of items to borrow, we have a Fairtrade display which comes with a box full of Fairtrade goods, useful publicity and other
DEED has extensive experience and expertise in Fairtrade issues. We run fun and creative Fairtrade workshops with children and young people in schools from the Early Years through to Secondary age students.
Let your pupils experience what it is like to be part of a Ghanaian cocoa farming family in a hands-on, creative workshop suitable for both Primary and Secondary settings. Through stimulating games and activities they will explore many of the issues behind Fairtrade such as poverty, sustainability and the Fairtrade logo, whilst building empathy with others in a way that is enjoyable and easy to understand.
We can also offer Fairtrade training to your staff. Again, please see the price list. Contact us if you are interested in booking workshops or staff training so that we can discuss your school’s needs and develop an appropriate programme.
We also work on behalf of the Fairtrade Foundation, providing support and advice to schools applying for (or having already achieved) Fairtrade Schools Award status in Dorset. We can also signpost you to suitable organisations across the South West region. Please watch the short film Fairtrade Schools South West on our DEED TV page for details of these organisations and the support they can provide.
Black History
Q: What resources do you have to support Black History Month?
A: We have an exhibition called 'Dorset’s Hidden Histories' which you can hire for display in your school or organisation. The exhibition looks at the history of the presence of black people in
We also hold several books and other teaching resources to support your teaching which can be hired from our Resource Centre.
In addition we can offer a range of workshops and staff training in Multicultural Britain and Black History. Please contact us for details so that we can discuss your needs and create the best solution for your school.
Early Years and Young Children
Q: Have you got anything suitable for Nurseries / Pre-schools?
A: Yes! We have a large range of
We also have a large selection of picture books, big books and photo packs which contain positive images and reflect different cultures and lifestyles both here and abroad.
We are sure you will find plenty to support your work, and remember that Early Years practitioners enjoy reduced loan rates, so everyone can benefit.
Q Surely my child is too young to learn about global issues?
A: We believe it is important to start laying the foundations of equality, global awareness, empathy and respect for others at an early age by introducing simple ideas such as fairness and equality, so that more complicated ideas such as justice and respect can be easily introduced at an older age.
Q: What have you got that would support work with Secondary age students?
A: We have a range of books, posters and DVDs that you can hire to support work with Secondary students on subjects from Climate Change to Rights to Black History and beyond. Our DVD It’s Your Choice – Tackling Discrimination Together is specifically aimed at Secondary Stage students and discusses issues of racism, disability and homophobia. It contains a full Teacher’s Guide and has proved to be very popular with schools that have already used it.
Our exhibitions (Dorset Hidden Histories, Sankofa) have all been used successfully within the Secondary Sector and offer plenty of opportunities for global education and our established programme of Fairtrade Pupil Workshops have proved a popular and useful aid in the Secondary Sector. We are currently developing workshops on Reduce, Reuse & Recycle; Behind the Label; Asylum and The Modern Slave Trade.
Please contact us for details.
Q: I would like to order a resource from you. How do I know what items you have in stock?
A: The best way is to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and ask – or to come and visit if that’s possible. We loan items to schools and other groups so it may well be that an item is out of DEED but not out of stock. If you can provide us with an ISBN number or as many other details about the resource as possible it makes our job of checking much easier.
Q: I want to buy a copy of ….. Can you do that for me?
A: It depends on what you want. We may have a copy in stock or if it is stocked in the Oxfam catalogue we can get it easily for you. For other resources it may well be cheaper and quicker for you to go to an online bookseller and buy direct from them. We are happy to give you ISBN numbers of our stock.
Q: Do we have to buy it or can we borrow it?
A: We are happy to loan or sell items to suit your needs.
Please remember that we have a minimum hire charge of £5 (for up to five items for schools/groups and up to twelve items for Early Years workers/Home educators), so sometimes it might be more cost effective for you to buy a small item rather than to hire it. We also reserve the right not to sell certain items of stock, for instance if they are very popular but out of print.
Sometimes our customers decide they would like to buy a book or other resource at the end of their hire period. We can easily convert a loan into a sale if necessary.
Support Available for Children from Diverse Backgrounds
Q: I’ve got a child from …. in my class. What help is available?
A: DEED has resources that include children of mixed and dual heritages and that represent heritages of children that come from around the world. You can use DEED’s resources to promote and value those heritages and also to support learning about the wider values needed for children of different backgrounds and heritages to live happily together. These values include respect for difference; concern for others and a sense of common humanity and common needs.
DEED also has a smaller collection of dual language stories.
For more support for children with additional language needs, please contact your Local Authority Minority Ethnic and Traveller services:
Borough of
TES team 01305 851302
School Linking
Q: I want to arrange a link – what can I do?
A: Whilst DEED does not specialise in school linking, we are happy to provide you with advice and to signpost you to organisations that can help, such as UKOWLA and the British Council. We have a number of books in our Resource Centre which may be of further help, which you are welcome to hire.
Questions about DEED
Q: Can you come and talk to our school / group about DEED?
A: Yes we’d love to! We are always delighted to spread the word about DEED and what we have to offer your school or group. Please phone or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to discuss your needs. If you wanted a more complete training we would need to make a charge in line with our current price list.
Q: Do I have to be a member to be able to come and visit DEED?
A: No, we welcome everyone!! Please do phone ahead of your visit to make sure there is someone here to meet you.
See below: What are your opening times?
Q: We want to apply for a grant to buy multicultural resources. Can you help?
A: DEED is a registered charity so we apply to others for funding ourselves! We don’t provide grants but for a small fee you can hire multicultural resources and artefacts from us directly.
If you have a potential funder we can help to suggest resources that you could apply for. You would need to make an appointment to visit us here at DEED.
Q: What are your opening times?
A: Our office is generally staffed between
We are usually open for most of the school holidays but do tend to close over Christmas and at Easter. Please be aware that these times can vary depending on our work commitments – especially if we are working in schools or attending conferences.
If you need to collect or return items or just want to pop in and visit the Centre, please phone in advance so that we can make sure that someone is here to greet you. We would hate for you to waste a journey!
Q: How do I get to you?
A: DEED has a marker on Google Maps which can be found if you put the word DEED into the Google Maps search engine or go to our about us page.
If you are travelling:
- by car: there is unlimited, free parking behind our offices on
- by train: DEED is about a 15 minute walk from either Branksome Station or Parkstone Station on the Weymouth to Waterloo line.
- by bus from
- By bus from
Q: What does DEED stand for?
A: When DEED started back in the 1980s, the initials stood for Development Education in East Dorset. We now cover the whole of
Times have changed and there is now a move away from the term Development Education towards the newer concept of Global Education which you will see incorporated into our logo.
Q: I want to make a donation to DEED. How do I do that?
A: You can make a donation at any time by sending us a cheque made payable to DEED. If you would like to make a more regular donation, you might like to consider becoming a member. To do this you could either set up a standing order with your bank or send in a cheque on an annual basis. For further details please contact us . If you are a tax payer, please consider completing a Gift Aid form as this increases the value of your gift to us. Thank you.
Q: Are you part of
A: No, we are an independent educational charity that promotes global education within schools, Early Years settings and community groups across the
DEED is one of almost 50 Development
Q: Can we apply for sponsorship from you?
A: DEED is a registered charity so we apply to others for funding ourselves! We don’t offer sponsorships but we do offer volunteer opportunities.
Q: I want to support my child’s development. Can you help?
A: DEED doesn’t provide one-to-one support for individual children or young people. We do however have resources that teachers, parents or other educators can use when working with children to support their learning about the wider world and their place in it.
Values such as a sense of identity, concern for others and respect for difference and diversity are promoted throughout DEED’s book collections. These resources are available for individuals to hire or buy. Please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like to see what we have available.
