Planning your school visit

Our learning service

The National Army Museum's learning service includes taught workshops, self-guided visits, gallery trails, and a bookable lunch space.

All of our workshops and resources are curriculum-linked and have been designed in consultation with teachers to connect young people with the stories, impact, and innovations of the British Army from the 1640s to present day.

How to book

Admission to the Museum is free and there is no charge for school visits. However, whether you're coming for a taught workshop or a self-guided visit, you do need to inform us in advance by completing our online booking form.

This will ensure our Visitor Experience team is expecting you and that you can be made aware of any scheduling conflicts or closures.

Taught workshops 

Workshops are designed for up to 30 learners. Due to social distancing measures, we may not be able to offer multiple workshops for the same group.

Our workshops last an hour and can be booked during term time (Monday-Thursday), subject to availability. We recommend that you book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Virtual workshops 

Our virtual workshops are adaptations of our on-site offer pre-Covid 19. These virtual workshops include a mixture of short films, live link-ups with the Learning team, and digital resource packs.

We are happy to discuss the content of this new offer with teachers wishing to make a booking. Please contact the Learning team at learning@nam.ac.uk.

Self-guided visits and trails 

We also welcome schools that prefer a self-guided visit, or wish to combine a workshop with self-guided time. The Museum's galleries deal with different themes and raise a number of questions about the Army and its impact at different times in history.

We offer free gallery trails designed specifically for schools on themes relating to our taught workshops and the National Curriculum. The trails support teachers and learners to find and interpret the gallery displays that are most relevant to them. We have free printed copies of these available at the Museum or they can be downloaded from our website.

Preliminary visit

Even if you have visited the Museum before, we strongly recommend a preliminary visit. This will allow you to familiarise yourself with the galleries and layout, as well as help inform your planning and risk assessment.

Our Learning team would be happy to give you an overview of what to expect. If you would like us to meet with you during your preliminary visit, please contact us at learning@nam.ac.uk to arrange this.

Facilities

We have a number of facilities available to help make your visit easier.

Classrooms

Workshops are taught in our Foyle Centre, a dedicated learning space at the heart of the Museum. It features two classroom spaces and a lunch room.

Lunch room

Whether you want a taught workshop or a self-guided visit, school groups are welcome to use our lunch room to store coats and bags, and/or eat packed lunches while they are in the Museum. Packed lunches or other food and drink (unless purchased and eaten in the Café) must not be consumed anywhere else in the Museum.

The lunch room must be booked in advance. You will be allocated a time slot when we confirm your booking. You may be asked to share the lunch room with another group, and we will need to book multiple time slots for large groups. Please note that use of the lunch room is subject to availability and we ask that schools keep to their allocated time.

Group Entrance

We also have a Group Entrance for schools. This leads directly to the Foyle Centre to make your arrival easier.

Shop

Take home a souvenir from your school visit. We have a range of fun and engaging products starting from just 50p.

Access 

The National Army Museum is fully accessible. Both our main and group entrances are accessible by wheelchair. Our main entrance has level access from Royal Hospital Road, and our group entrance is accessed by ramp.

We have toilets on every floor, and disabled access toilets on the ground and lower ground floor. We also have a Changing Places facility on the ground floor. The toilets near the Café are unisex.

There is lift access to every floor of the Museum, from two centrally located lifts. Stairs are also available. If your school has additional needs and you have a question that is not answered here, please contact the Learning team at learning@nam.ac.uk

Responsibilities 

Student behaviour and conduct is the responsibility of school staff. We ask that all teachers bringing school groups to the Museum, whether for a workshop or a self-guided visit, ensure that their students behave appropriately at all times.

The Museum is a public place and all groups are asked to show consideration towards our other visitors and to treat our collection and exhibits with care.