Opening Times

10am – 6pm (last admission 5.30)

What makes this a great venue for School group Fun or Educational Visits?

From Roman settlement to Docklands regeneration, this 200 year old warehouse reveals the long history of London as a port through stories of trade, migration and commerce. With interactive displays, recreated scenes and original artefacts, Museum of London Docklands is a great place for a school visit, creating inspirational learning opportunities for all key stages across the curriculum including History, Geography, Citizenship, English, Classics and Travel & Tourism.

Pupils can discover a wealth of objects from whale bones to gas masks in state-of-the-art galleries, including a large gallery which explores the impact of World War II on London’s docks and communities, and another which traces the decline of the docks and their regeneration in the late 20th century. The recently opened London, Sugar & Slavery gallery is the only permanent exhibition in London to reveal the capital’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

The Museum caters for all learning preferences and is a great venue for special educational needs groups, with full wheelchair access and displays that include interactive and sensory areas. In Sailortown students can experience the authentic sights, sounds and smells of Victorian London, while in the Sampling Warehouse interactive displays encourage pupils to identify a variety of exotic goods brought into London docks.

What are the Curriculum Topics or Benefit to the students from a visit?

History, Geography, Citizenship, slavery, Art, Foundation Stage, Travel & Tourism

What are the activities?

Taught sessions, drama performances, interactive talks, study days, self-directed visits, storytelling sessions.

What is the age range of the activities?

From Foundation Stage to FE

Sample programme of the activities:

Please see the Programme for Schools, available from the website.

What materials to you provide or suggest groups bring to support the visit?

Resources are available to download for all sessions and for self-directed visits.

What are the minimum and maximum group sizes and the free Teacher Ratio?

Minimum 10/maximum 35 for a taught session. Self-directed visits – minimum 10. Ratios: 1:6 for primary, 1:10 for secondary, 1:15 for post-16 (non-negotiable)

Do you have or how do you arrange risk assessment?

We have a general document that can be provided to assist teachers in making their own risk assessments, but we do not provide them as this is the responsibility of the school.

Do you offer Teacher familiarisation days?

Teachers are welcome to make a pre-visit at no charge.

What facilities are there for school groups for food and drink, shop etc?

There is a large lunchroom which can be booked, and a small shop. Please request a shop slot when making your booking,

Is specific clothing required?

Sensible shoes are advisable as the flooring in uneven.

Do you have first aid on site?

Yes

Are there any restrictions on photos, copyright etc?

All non-professional reproduction of objects by visitors in the galleries is for private study and non-commercial research only. Photographs are not to be used for publication (including the web) or commercial reproduction.
Only general shots of galleries and objects are allowed. No close-ups of individual or groups of objects, no flash and no tripods are permitted.
Visitors are strictly prohibited to take photos/videos that include children, school parties, or vulnerable adults (other than in their own party), as per the Museum’s Child and Vulnerable Adults Protection Policy.
All photography in temporary loan exhibition and display spaces is not allowed, unless the specific exhibition/display does not contain material on loan or in copyright.
Drawing/sketching of objects is allowed.
During school sessions, photography to record the visit to the Museum is allowed within the constraints of this policy. No close-ups of individual or groups of objects, no flash and no tripods are permitted. Pictures of many of our key objects are available for teachers to download from the picture bank on our website.

Additional information.

Please see the Programme for Schools for all information and booking forms.