Learning Visitors: Frequently Asked Questions

For safeguarding, and to ensure health and safety in the museum, our adult to child ratio policy for groups is: 
  
Ages 5 to 11 – 1:8  
Ages 11 to 16 – 1:10 
Ages  16-18 – 1:15 
Over 18s – 1 responsible adult per group 

You can view our Risk Assessment form for Gallery, Learning Centre and offsite visits here.

Yes, tickets to visit the permanent collection are free for teachers. Show your Staff Pass at the ticket desk on arrival.

You can also look at our online Virtual Tour. This was filmed in 2020 so some artworks might have changed. Please check with us in advance if you are hoping to see specific works.

We do not have a lunch space for learning groups. There is a pedestrianised area on the Strand directly in front of the building with public seating, as well as Somerset House’s courtyard and terrace facing the river. There are also some indoor areas of Somerset House open to the public, which you may be able to use in small groups.

If you cancel at short notice this will impact on our capacity to offer free workshops to another state school, so please ensure you check the date with your whole school calendar and your SLT team when making the booking arrangements. To discuss a cancellation with us, please email education@courtauld.ac.uk.

Please note that Independent schools who cancel their booking with less than 3 weeks notice will still be required to pay the fee for their session.

Adults are responsible for safeguarding and health and safety for the children in their party whilst in the Gallery. It is important that the adults stay with the group at all times.  

For everyone to have the best experience possible, we ask that all the adults stay with the group and are fully engaged in looking at the artworks.  We know that if you are engaged and interested your students will be too.  

Everyone in your group is important and we encourage lively conversation. Sometimes, because we all have to be mindful of other people using the space, we might gently ask the group to quieten down a little and we would welcome your support with this. 

We expect visitors of all ages to adhere to this code of conduct and poor behaviour could mean that people are asked to leave or a workshop is terminated. 

If you have booked a workshop your lead Educator will escort you to our Learning centre where there are lockers for our visitors. If these are already being used they will show you to the Gallery lockers.  

Secondary schools are welcome to return to the gallery after their tour/workshop, or visit the Gallery as a self-guided group before their guided session begins. If you wish to enter before the start of your tour/workshop please contact education@courtauld.ac.uk so that we can reserve tickets for you at the correct time.

We do not permit primary schools in the gallery on self-guided visits. 

To support your visit, we have a selection of free resources that you can download from our resources website.  

You do not have to visit the Gallery to use these resources. You can use our online Virtual Tour or The Courtauld Gallery Collection Online. 

There are works featuring nudity throughout the Gallery, including ceiling decorations, and it will not be possible to entirely avoid passing them. You can find a virtual tour of the Gallery here, which will show you how the works are situated. 

For a guided tour or workshop, our educators can make sure that your session does not include any works featuring nudity if requested.

Visit our Accessibility page for general information and please tell us about any access requirements when you make your booking so that we can provide the best advice.  

The Courtauld Gallery | AccessAble provides an accessibility guide with photographs. 

To let us know you are running late for your tour or workshop, you can email education@courtauld.ac.uk, which is monitored at all times during office hours. You can also call the Learning office on 0203 947 7589. 

We regret that there are no coach parking facilities at The Courtauld, although a drop-off point can be found nearby at Victoria Embankment.

All materials will be provided for a guided tour or workshop.

For self-guided groups, please see the list of materials that can be used

• graphite and coloured pencils
• enclosed pencil sharpener
• erasers
• paper (maximum size A3)

Please note that the following materials are not permitted within the galleries:

• pens and permanent markers (including biros, ink and felt tip pens)
• wax crayons
• oil or acrylic paints and watercolours/gouache
• correction or masking fluid
• charcoal
• pastels (chalk or oil based)
• fixatives and aerosols
• scissors and craft knives
• adhesives/glues/sticky tape
• carbon paper
• portable easels

We only permit self-guided visits for groups from Year 7 upwards. 

Learning groups can book a visit to our temporary exhibitions only on particular days and during off-peak hours. You can find stipulations for any current exhibitions here.

We do not offer guided tours or workshops on our temporary exhibitions for learning groups, as teaching is not permitted in the exhibition spaces.  

For self-guided visits, please submit a booking request at least one week before the date of your visit. We will try to accommodate requests made at shorter notice, but please note that during busy periods we cannot guarantee an immediate response to your requests.

Due to staff availability we cannot process booking requests from Friday to Sunday.

We ask learning groups to complete an online booking form for self-guided visits or for guided tours and workshops.  

You are welcome to discuss your booking with us over the phone  but please note that we do not have capacity to take calls at all times during office hours. You can email education@courtauld.ac.uk with your phone number and suggested times to book a phone call. Our voicemails are monitored and we will respond to any requests as soon as possible. 

This will depend on other activity happening on the day of your booking so please discuss with us.