Planning a school visit

Support for planning, booking and preparing for your school visit

The above video is made by the pupils themselves and is an introduction to what schools can do at the Natural History Museum.

Watch the video before booking to help you plan your trip and show pupils the exciting activities they can do at the Museum. Some of the activities shown are only available for certain age groups. Follow the link below to see which activities are available for your Key Stage.

Browse by Key Stage

Planning your visit

To make the most of your visit, you should choose and book free activities in advance. There are two ways to choose activities:

Browse what's on offer by key stage or activity type, starting from the School activities page. Follow links to the events calendar from individual activity pages to see a list of dates.
School activities
If you know the date of your visit and want to see what events are on, you can go straight to the events calendar. Make sure you select the date of your visit and then select 'school' from the drop down list of audiences.
Events calendar

Book your visit

To book a visit for your school please call our friendly team on the school bookings line:

Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5555
Opening times: Monday - Friday 08.30-16.00 term-time (10.00-13.00 during school holidays).

Preliminary visit

We recommend that you make a preliminary visit to the Museum to familiarise yourself with the facilities available. A well-planned visit will help you get the most out of your school's trip to the Museum.

Getting here

Risk assessment

Activities for schools are designed with full consideration of the risks involved.

Download our risk assessment information guide PDF (148.9 KB)

Supervision guidelines

Please help us to ensure that your trip to the Museum runs smoothly by following these guidelines:

Pupils must have adult supervision at all times. Behaviour and discipline of pupils during their visit to the Museum remains the responsibility of teachers and adult supervisors. Please ensure all accompanying adults understand the aims of the visit and their role. Consult the table below for minumum and recommended adult-pupil ratios.
Please do not allow pupils under the age of 12 to leave the Museum unaccompanied, as they will not be allowed to re-enter the building unless they are with an adult.
When using the Museum shops, we would be grateful if you could split up larger groups to avoid overcrowding.
We suggest you select a meeting point when you arrive.
If you have missing pupils or lost property, please contact the information desk in Hintze Hall (formerly the Central Hall).
In the event of an emergency, there will be a public announcement. Please follow the instructions.

Adult-pupil ratios

Age	Minimum ratio	Recommended ratio
Nursery/Reception	1:6	1:4
Key Stage 1 (Y1–Y2)	1:8	1:5
Key Stage 2 (Y3–Y6)	1:10	1:8
Key Stage 3 (Y7–9)	1:10	1:10
Key Stage 4 (Y10–11)	1:15	1:10
Post-16	1 adult per booking	1:30

Further information

For further information please call our school bookings line on +44 (0)20 7942 5555.

Print version

School bookings

Book all school activities in advance on +44 (0)20 7942 5555. Lines are open Monday-Friday from 8.30-16.00 during term time and 10.00-13.00 in the holidays.