A visit to Sir John Soane’s Museum brings the curriculum to life in a way that your class will never forget.

We offer free tours for schools across the age ranges, from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 5. All of our schools tours have been shaped by curriculum objectives and will link directly to your classroom teaching, whilst offering your pupils a new awareness of architecture, the built environment and the world around them.

For more information or to book a session, email the Learning Team or call 020 7440 4253.

What we offer

What days can I book a school visit?

  • Wednesday 10.15 – 12.15 – 1 x class
  • Wednesday 12.45 – 2.45 – 1 x class
  • Thursday 10.15 – 12.15 – 1 x class

We can accommodate class sizes of up to 33 students.

How do I book?

All visits must be booked at least a month in advance. To begin your booking, please get in touch with the Learning Team via email education@soane.org.uk or call 020 7440 4253. Please note that the Learning Team works part time, and do not work on Fridays.

What do you offer for Key Stage 2?

Using Sir John Soane’s collection as a starting point, our sessions for KS2 pupils explore a wide variety of subject areas linked to the Science, History, Maths and Art curricula.

We offer a menu of five sessions: Rocks and Soils; Romans and Domes; Ancient Egyptians; Light, Shadows and Reflection; and Ancient Greeks

Your visit will comprise a tour of the Museum and a related activity, led by one of our specialist museum educators.

To find out more about the sessions we offer, click here.

What do you offer for Key Stage 3 and above?

We currently offer two tours for Key Stage 3 students and above: General Tours, which can be tailored to the specific Learning needs of your class, and Classics Tours which are able to cover: A general introduction to the ancient world; Mythology and the gods; Art, architecture and sculpture; and Pompeii 

To find out more about the sessions we offer, click here.

What happens during the visit?

When you arrive at the Museum please come to the door at No. 14 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. A member of the Learning team will be waiting to greet you and lead your group down to the Art Room, where the session will be based.

For KS2, an outline of the session is as follows:
  • A short introduction to the Museum and the topic
  • Divide into three groups to explore Sir John Soane’s Museum through a carousel of 3 activities:
    • A tour of the Crypt
    • A tour of the ground floor
    • A hands-on workshop
  • A whole-group plenary, to consolidate learning and share knowledge and understanding.

 

For KS3 and above, an outline of the session is as follows:

 

Do you offer Virtual visits?

All our school sessions are available to book as Virtual tours on Tuesday mornings. These last an hour and include: an introductory presentation; a live, virtual visit to the Museum floor; and a plenary discussion. In addition, we can send follow-up workshop session plans and resources to you to use in school after your virtual visit.

Explore Soane is our digital platform for exploring the Museum virtually. Using the latest in 3D technology, we have scanned and digitised a selection of Museum rooms and objects – including Soane’s Model Room, the ancient Egyptian sarcophagus of King Seti I, and the Picture Room.

Linked to Explore Soane is our collection of specially-created digital teaching resources, to bring the Soane into your school.

Download the Explore Soane Teaching Resources

What should we know about the Museum before our visit?

Sir John Soane’s Museum has been left almost exactly as it was when it was bequeathed to the nation in 1837. Due to the nature of the Museum, with the vast majority of Soane’s original collection left on open display, we have to be extremely careful on the museum floor. We ask all visitors not to touch or lean on any objects, walls or surfaces. We really appreciate teachers’ help in ensuring that students abide by this rule, to keep the collection safe and ensure that visits to Sir John Soane’s Museum are enjoyable for visitors now and in the future.

What is the Museum’s adult to student ratios?

As every class will be split into three groups, there must always be a minimum of 3 adults during a school visit. Please note that to comply with the legal adult to pupil ratios, you must have the following for the duration of the visit:

KS1: 1 adult to every 6 students

KS2: 1 adult to every 8 students

KS3-5: 1 adult to every 10 students

 

Students who receive 1-2-1 support at school (e.g. for SEND) should also be provided with this at the Museum.

How much are visits?

All our school sessions (in-person or online) are offered free of charge, although a voluntary donation is appreciated. All donations, no matter what size, help us enormously as an institution and enable us to continue making sure everyone can enjoy Sir John Soane’s legacy, today and in the future.

If you would like to donate we have a suggested donation of £2.50 per child. Information about how to donate can be found on our Donate page.

Plan your visit

Do you have a lunchroom?

Unfortunately, we do not have a lunchroom for schools to use at Sir John Soane’s Museum. Lincoln’s Inn Fields, directly opposite the Museum, have an extensive grassed area with a large public shelter and public toilets. Many school groups choose to have lunch in this area, weather permitting.

If you are visiting us after using the park, we would really appreciate it if you could make sure that shoes are not muddy.

What toilet facilities are available?

There are two private toilets available next to the Art Room (including a fully accessible toilet) where the workshop will be based. We advise use of the public toilets in Lincoln’s Inn Fields prior to your visit, however students can use the toilets by the Art Room during the workshop section of the tour. We heavily advise that neither students nor accompanying adults use the toilets on the Museum floor to prevent getting separated from their group.

Is the Museum accessible?

We now have an internal and an external platform lift for step-free access to the Museum. Please let us know in advance so that we have a member of staff on hand to operate the lift as, due to our Grade I Listed building status, the lift cannot be in a public space. We also have specially designed narrow wheelchairs which can be used to allow access to our Museum spaces for disabled visitors. If you haven’t already, please contact us in advance of your visit to discuss accessibility requirements and we will do all we can to help.

If you would like to find out more about access in the Museum, please visit our Accessibility page here.

Do you have a Health and Safety document?

Yes, this can help with filling out your risk assessment for the visit. Please download the file here.

What should we know about the Museum before our visit?

Sir John Soane’s Museum has been left almost exactly as it was when it was bequeathed to the nation in 1837. Due to the fragile nature of the Museum, with the vast majority of Soane’s original collection left on open display, we have to be extremely careful on the Museum floor. We ask all visitors not to touch or lean on any objects, walls or surfaces. We really appreciate teachers’ help in ensuring that students abide by this rule in order to keep the collection safe and ensure that visits to Sir John Soane’s Museum are enjoyable for visitors now and in the future.

Can my class sketch in the Museum?

Unfortunately, we do not permit sketching on the Museum floor.

Can we take photos or use phones during the visit?

Photography inside the Museum is permitted however, flash photography, filming and calls are not permitted and we ask that students do not use their phones during the visit

Where can we leave coats and bags?

Bags and coats will be left in the Art Room in advance of a tour of the Museum, and although there will be a member of staff in the room at all times, valuables are left at the owner’s own risk. We can provide clear plastic bags for valuables and medicine if necessary.

How do we get to the Museum?

By bus: Alight at Holborn tube station from 1, 59, 68, 91, 168, 171, 188, 521, 8, 25, 242 and 243; Alight at the Aldwych (North side) from 6, 9, 13, 87, 139 and 23, 26, 76, 172 and 341.

Underground: Holborn is on the Central and Piccadilly lines. There are no main roads to cross between the station and the Museum.

Rail: Charing Cross.

What do we do if we’re running late?

Please let the Museum know by calling the Art Room on 0207 440 4267 or emailing the team on education@soane.org.uk. We will do our best to accommodate you, subject to other bookings and availability.

Is there a cancellation policy?

We are happy to reschedule your visit – please get in touch with the Learning Team to organise this. If your cancellation or date change occurs under 14 days of your visit, please note that a cancellation fee of £70 applies.

 

Digital resources Back to top

Explore Soane is our digital platform for exploring the Museum virtually from the comfort of your own home.

After-school club Back to top

Building Explorers is our popular after-school club for children from the local area. We meet on Tuesdays in term time, with members from Years 4 and 5 in our three closest Primary Schools: St Clement Danes, St George the Martyr and Christopher Hatton. The club explores architecture and the built environment across time and place, developing the club members’ knowledge, creativity and design skills. We also take trips to important buildings and places in London to learn more about the architectural make-up of our city.

For more information, email education@soane.org.uk or call 020 7440 4253.

This club is generously funded by the Alan Baxter Foundation.

 

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