Schools

• 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.

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 4254. Please note that the Learning Team works part time, and do not work on Fridays.

Houses Through Time is our bespoke Key Stage 1 session, in which students explore the Museum as an example of a Georgian house, and identify the types of rooms and how they might be different to today.

This session runs for a slightly shorter length of 1 hour 30 minutes. 

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.

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.

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:

• A short introduction to the Museum and the topic
• Divide into three groups to explore Sir John Soane’s Museum on a tour with one of our excellent school guides.
• A whole-group plenary, to consolidate learning and share knowledge and understanding.

All our school sessions are available to book as Virtual tours from Mondays to Thursdays. These last an hour and include: a pre-filmed tour guided live by an educator who will take your through the spaces of the Museum, and end with 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Please let the Museum know by calling the Art Room on 0207 440 4250 or emailing the team on education@soane.org.uk. We will do our best to accommodate you, subject to other bookings and availability.

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.