Important Information Schools, colleges and universities

Learning Groups Terms and Conditions

Please read through the following information ahead of your visit to the Design Museum.

The Design Museum classifies a school or college group as an organised group of students in full-time education, visiting as part of their studies and accompanied by staff.

We want all learning groups to have the best possible experience at the museum.
The following information is to help you and your students make the most of your trip.

  • On arrival, your group will be given an identifying Learning Group lanyard.

  • Toilets are available on all floors and our staff can provide further information about accessible facilities.

  • Non-workshop groups may use the Mezzanine and Atrium stairs for lunch, with seating being available to school groups on a first come first served basis.

  • Groups are welcome to use outdoor seating on the Design Museum grounds and neighbouring Holland Park.

Schools and colleges must have one teacher or tutor for every ten students. Failure to comply will result in admission to the museum being refused.

Teachers, teaching assistants, tutors and parents/guardians accompanying the class visit are to remain responsible for behaviour management and safeguarding at all times.

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Public museum spaces and exhibition visits

Ahead of your visit, please remind students of the behaviour that is expected in a museum.

In the galleries:

• Objects and exhibits are not to be touched - unless the label states otherwise

• The museum is not a place for running, just walking

• Talking and discussion is welcomed, but shouting is not

• Please do not use any wet materials – sketching is encouraged but only with dry materials

• Photography, without flash, is allowed unless otherwise stated

• No food and drink are allowed in the galleries at any time

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In the shops:

• A maximum of ten students are allowed in the shop at any point.

• All students should have at least one supervising teacher present with them whilst in the shop.

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In the café and seating spaces:

Only food and drink purchased in the café can be consumed there.

The Design Museum staff can be identified by their uniform (denim apron) and ID badge. They are there to ensure all visits to the museum are enjoyable, but above all, safe. Please listen and follow any guidance or instructions they give.

Staff should be treated with respect. The museum has zero tolerance to any form of abuse towards its staff, and if visitors are behaving in a way that contravenes this, then they will be asked to leave. Failure to supervise students or poor behaviour may result in eviction from the museum.

Learning groups coming to a workshop

Lockers and lunchroom space are provided for all Hands-on Design, Sustainable Design and Design Ventura workshop groups.

On arrival, please sign in with one of our Visitor Experience Assistants. The group leader will then be given a Learning pass and locker key.

• In order to access lockers for your students, you will be asked to provide a form of ID as a deposit. This could be a passport, driving licence, debit card or at least £10 cash. Please ensure you bring this and are ready to exchange it for the museum pass and keys.

• Please arrive 10 minutes ahead of your allocated workshop time to allow for your students to go upstairs to the Common Room and to put coats and bags in lockers. This will ensure your workshop can start on time.

• Workshops have to finish at the pre-agreed time. Therefore, if you are late, we will need to shorten your workshop time.

A workshop cannot take place without the appropriate level of teacher or tutor supervision of 1 to 10. During a session, teachers and tutors are to remain responsible for behaviour management, so that all students can benefit from the activity.

The workshop objects are museum items and may be rare and irreplaceable. We, therefore, ask that students treat objects with respect that will ensure they can be used by future learners.

Please note that some workshops may require the use of scissors and the possibility of other sharp objects.

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Booking your visit

General admission to the museum is free but charges apply for temporary exhibitions.

All schools and colleges should book as far in advance as possible.

• All schools, colleges and universities should book directly with the Design Museum. Free self-guided visits should be booked in advance with the Design Museum.

• Bookings made by travel agents/third parties should provide the schools, colleges and universities' details at the time of booking. All self-guided visits or workshop bookings must be done via the website and paid directly via credit/debit card. The Bookings Office can assist if the school does not have a credit card. Payments must be made in one transaction – cheques are not accepted.

Payment must be received at the point of booking. If payment has not been received by the date of your visit, you may be refused entry into the museum. Should you not be able to prior to your visit, please contact the Bookings Office who may be able to offer alternative arrangements. Entry for groups without prior payment is entirely at the discretion of the Design Museum.

All self-guided visits and workshop bookings are subject to availability and there are no provisional bookings.

When booking via the website, you will receive an automatic email. Please contact the Bookings Office if you do not receive a confirmation email via bookings@designmuseum.org or +44 207 3862 5937.

The Design Museum is not responsible for any travel arrangements to and from the museum. If you need to make a change or amendment to your booking, please contact the Bookings Office directly in writing.

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Changes, cancellations and refunds

All changes to your booking must be made in writing to the Bookings Office via bookings@designmuseum.org

IMPORTANT: If changes are made within a week of the booking, if you are running very late on the day, or similar, please also Cc the Learning team learning@designmuseum.org

• If you wish to cancel any self-guided visit or workshop booking, this must be done at the latest 28 days/20 working days prior to a visit at the latest in order to receive a refund.

• If a visit is cancelled after that time, the Museum will not be able to provide a refund and changes will be processed subject to availability.

You will not be charged a cancellation fee for free self-guided visit bookings. However, please do notify the Bookings Office of cancellations, so we can offer your time slot to another group.

On occasion, the museum may need to cancel activities due to unforeseen circumstances. If this happens, the Bookings Office will contact you as soon as possible, and offer alternatives where possible. If you have already paid and cannot take up our suggested alternatives, we will provide you with a full refund.

The Design Museum is not responsible for any travel arrangements or related expenses incurred upon cancellation of a workshop or exhibition visit.

Enquiries

For further information, the Bookings Office can be contacted Monday to Friday (10.00 – 17.00) on +44 20 3862 5937 or via the online enquiry form.