Schools workshop, Tate Britain 2018 © Tate (Oliver Cowling)
School visits to Tate Britain are free. As Tate Britain is now operating on a timed ticket system, all school groups must book in advance of visiting.
When you book a visit please advise us of any specific access requirements that members of your group may have.
How to make a booking
To enquire, please email us at schoolsandteachers@tate.org.uk and we will send you the relevant booking form. Our phone lines are currently closed for the Summer Holidays and will reopen on 1 September.
Bookings must be made at least two weeks in advance to ensure tickets can be posted to the school.
Frequently asked questions
DO I NEED TO MAKE A BOOKING TO BRING A SCHOOL GROUP TO TATE?
Yes. Timed tickets are required to enter our galleries for the free collections. To help manage numbers, we require all school groups to pre-book at least two weeks in advance and are limiting each class to 40 tickets (including teachers).
If you are booking the full 40 tickets, you must split your class into 20 on one route and 20 on the other route. If your group is 20 people or less, you can book onto one route together.
There will be one block of 20 tickets available for each route at 11.00 and one block of 20 tickets available for each route at 13.00 per day.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Self-led visits to the permanent collection at Tate Britain are free.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I FORGET OUR TICKETS?
For the safety of our staff, please do try to remember to bring your tickets. They will be posted to your school in advance of your booking. If, for whatever reason, you do not have your tickets with you on the day of your visit, please send your lead teacher to the ticket desk and someone will reprint them for you.
CAN I BOOK EXHIBITION TICKETS FOR MY CLASS?
We are looking forward to welcoming you and your students back to the gallery. Tate is following all Government guidelines to keep visitors and staff safe, meaning that capacities for visiting are significantly lower than usual. Capacities for paid exhibitions have been limited to very low numbers to ensure safety, and for this reason we are temporarily unable to offer school group tickets for exhibitions.
DO WE NEED TO REGISTER ON THE NHS TRACK AND TRACE APP? IF SO, DOES THIS NEED TO BE DONE BY EVERY INDIVIDUAL?
Yes, we will need to take a name and contact number at the point of booking for every person over the age of 16 (this includes all support staff).
WHAT ACTIVITIES DO YOU HAVE FOR STUDENTS?
Due to the impact of COVID-19, we are not currently providing paper-based resources in the gallery, but you are welcome to save resources from the website or from our ebulletins to your mobile devices and use them the way you would a paper resource. If you’re not currently signed up for our ebulletin and would like to be, please email us.
These ‘activities’ are developed by artists who have worked on the Schools and Teachers Programme. You can find them below under ‘Self-led student resources’. These resources emulate the workshops and include the perspective of contemporary artists in the gallery. They aim to encourage new ways of looking at and learning with art.
CAN WE SKETCH AND DRAW IN THE GALLERIES?
You are welcome to bring your own sketchbooks and drawing materials to Tate Britain and are allowed to sketch in galleries as long as they are not crowded and you remain in small groups. If a gallery becomes too crowded, you may be asked to continue to the next set of rooms.
Permitted materials - dry materials such as pencils, graphite sticks, fine-tipped pens, wax crayons, conté and charcoal pencils (must be wood or plastic encased), oil pastels encased in paper. Prohibited materials - loose dry materials including charcoal and pastels, soft oil pastels and oil paint sticks, all paints and other wet materials, permanent markers and tape.
MY STUDENTS ARE STUDYING [INSERT TOPIC], HOW DO I FIND OUT IF IT IS ON DISPLAY?
Check Tate’s website, by searching for the artwork, artist or medium in Search. You can then check to see if those works are on any of the gallery routes and book your route accordingly. Unfortunately, we cannot give access to works that are not on the pre-approved gallery routes.
IS THERE SOMEWHERE WE CAN PARK?
Tate Britain has limited accessible onsite parking. This should be booked in advance and a registration number provided at least 24hrs before the visit. Regardless of where you are parked, you will need to enter the gallery through the Manton Entrance.
I WANT TO ARRANGE A TALK OR TOUR FOR MY STUDENTS - HOW DO I DO THIS?
Unfortunately School Group tours, Tate to Tate tours, Exhibition private lectures, Exhibition packages and Exhibition tours are temporarily suspended. If you are booking for fewer than 5 people, you can book through Tate Private Tours.
WHERE ARE THE BATHROOMS AND ARE THERE CHANGING FACILITIES?
Please check your route map to locate bathrooms along your route. Tate Britain does not currently have changing faciliites.
IS THERE A MAP?
Yes. Maps for the various one-way routes are available to download for Tate Britain once you have selected your chosen route. The routes offered for school groups are British Art 1540-1930 and British Art 1930-now.
Plan Your Visit
For the safety and enjoyment of all Tate visitors, one-way systems are in place at both Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Both sites are also operating at a reduced capacity to maintain safe social distancing practices.
Tate Britain offers two routes through the gallery for school groups, each of which takes approximately 1 hour. Due to reduced capacity and logistical constraints, school groups of more than 20 people will need to be split across the two routes. If your group is 20 people or less, you can select your preferred route and book onto it together. Please plan to observe the rule of 6 and allocate teachers accordingly. To help you decide which route to choose, please follow the links to each collection route:
Both routes have step-free access and access to toilets, a shop and the opportunity to buy food and drink. Please note Tate is operating a cashless system at present so only card purchases are possible.
Both routes also have access to the Duveens Commission, Heather Phillipson’s RUPTURE No 1: blowtorching the bitten peach. As the Tate Britain Commission features sudden loud noises, you can request ear defenders from any member of staff. They are thoroughly disinfected after each use. Even though the commission is very inviting and tactile, please remind your students not to touch the work.
Due to space constraints, there will not be any access to the Clore learning hub, lunchroom, lockers, or schools-only toilets.
We advise leaving bulky items at home, as there is currently no access to cloakrooms, and therefore students will have to carry any bags and items they have brought to the galleries. Alternately, there is a left luggage facility at Victoria station.
Lunches can be eaten outside the Clore learning hub at Tate Britain. As these spaces are neither private nor bookable, we cannot guarantee their availability.
All water fountains have been switched off, but students may get cups of water from the café along the route.
Students will need to use public toilets, so you may feel more comfortable accompanying them as per your school’s safeguarding policy. Please note that every other cubicle is closed to allow for social distancing.
All gallery seating is available if students need to pause at any point during their visit. There will not be a dedicated quiet space available, but if young people find the Duveens installation overwhelming, the Multi-Faith Room is located near the Rotunda and can be used as a chill-out space.
QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS BEFORE Your VISIT
- What does art mean to you?
- What was the last thing you made or created?
- What does art make you think?
- What does art make you feel?
QUESTIONS TO GET YOU EXPLORING WHEN YOU GET HERE
- If you could take one piece of artwork home with you, what would you take?
- What do you think art does in the world?
- Why should art be taught in school?
- If you imagined a gallery in the future, what do you think it would look like? What would be in it? Who would be in it?
Gallery Rules/Covid Safety
School groups must split up into groups of 6 as per the rest of the gallery guidelines, regardless of whether your class is part of a bubble. If your students are under the age of 16, these groups of 6 must include an adult. Before booking, please ensure you have enough staff available to support this.
One way route around the gallery, marked by signage and arrows. VE and Security staff will also be in the space to support with movement and room capacities.
Regular handwashing and sanitisation facilities are provided throughout.
Masks must be worn by everyone over the age of 12 unless exempt, throughout the whole duration of their visit.
For the full list of Tate’s safety protocols, please follow the link to Tate's Frequently Asked Questions.