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 education@soane.org.uk or call 020 7440 4253.

In Museum sessions are now available and we continue to offer our school tours and outreach sessions as virtual visits via video conferencing.

Virtual tours are available with a minimum of 1 months’ notice. 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.

School visits schedule

  • Tuesdays – virtual visits
  • Wednesday 10:15 - 12.15pm – 1 x class
  • Wednesday 12.45 - 2.45pm – 1 x class
  • Thursday 10.15 - 12.15pm – 1 x class

Key Stage 2 TOP

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’, ‘Shape and Pattern’, ‘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. We can also organise bespoke sessions depending on your requirements.

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

Key Stage 3 and above TOP

General Tours

We offer both in person and virtual tours of the museum for students in Key Stages 3–5, and their teachers, led by our knowledgeable museum educators. These tours can be tailored to the specific Learning needs of your class offering a springboard to investigate subject areas of your choice such as English Literature, History and Art History, Art, Architecture, Collecting, Conservation and Heritage, etc. 

Classics

Follow in the footsteps of Sir John Soane and embark on your own Grand Tour of his Museum. Explore this incredible collection of classical antiquities within a unique and inspirational setting and discover more about the ancient world. From the Cawdor Vase, Apollo Belvedere and Sarcophagus of King Seti I, to wall paintings from the Villa Negroni, architectural fragments from across the classical world and a scale cork model of Pompeii as it was excavated in the 18th century, there is a whole wealth of material culture for your learners to explore. Lead by our experienced museum educators, all sessions include an introduction to Sir John Soane, a guided tour of the Museum and a visit to our world-famous picture room, alongside plenty of opportunities for questions and plenary discussion. Classics tours can be tailored to the needs and interests of your students, subject to availability. Key topics we are able to cover in the Museum include:

  • A general introduction to the ancient world, including the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians
  • Mythology and the gods 
  • Art, architecture and sculpture 
  • Pompeii 

This session is available as both an in person visit and a virtual tour. 

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

Digital resources TOP

Explore Soane is our digital platform for exploring the Museum virtually.

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

Containing full lesson plans to be used in the classroom (including teachers’ notes to support you), the resources can be used before or after a visit to the Museum – or instead of a visit if you’re not able to come. They can be used in isolation, as a series of lessons, or to help you plan around wider topics – and of course you they are editable to fit your own teaching needs.

Download the Explore Soane Teaching Resources

After-school club 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.

Learning