Programmes for primary schools

Download the 2011/12 Schools Programme (PDF file, 1.2 MB)

Sessions are listed by key curriculum subject but all have been devised to support cross-curricular learning.

• Teaching sessions for Art & Design and DT
• Teaching sessions for History
• Teaching sessions for Literacy
• Special educational needs

The V&A is the ideal place to:

• immerse your students in key primary curriculum topics and historical periods such as Victorian, Tudor and medieval times
• discover different cultures and stories through art, design and performance
• develop creative thinking and speaking and listening skills through participatory activities
• ignite your students' curiosity and talents

'This was an excellent session, the guide was superb at encouraging and working with the children. The interactive element brought this period of history to life!' (KS2 teacher)

Book a one hour session for a lively gallery based experience and immerse your students in a topic or a theme by investigating objects at first hand.

Book a two hour session for an additional hands-on studio activity or exciting role-play with professional actors.

Monday - Friday
£60 for 1 hour - sessions starting at 10.30, 11.45 & 13.00
£120 for 2 hours - sessions starting at 10.15 & 13.15
Maximum of 30 students per session

Book now on +44 (0)20 7942 2211

Teaching sessions for Art & Design and DT

V&A Voyage

KS 1&2
1 hour session
Travel overseas to discover traditional clothes, religious objects and items used in everyday life. Try on replica costumes from different cultures. Choose when you book to explore India, the Islamic Middle East, China and Japan or a mixture of these.

Take a Seat

KS 2
1 hour session
From thrones to plastic stacking chairs, explore different chair designs, materials and functions. Learn about old and new chair designs and different world cultures.

William Morris

KS 1&2
1 hour session
Discover William Morris, the Victorian designer. Look at his famous designs for wallpaper, textiles, furniture and stained glass. Find out what inspired him and compare his style to that of other Victorian designers, including Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Let’s Go on a Picnic - NEW!

KS 1&2
1 hour session
Find all the things you need for a picnic and explore art and design from different times and cultures along the way. Look at beautiful bowls from the Middle East, picnic boxes from China and travelling tea sets from Japan. Discover what kinds of food people ate on picnics long ago then decide which delicious food you would bring on yours.

2 hour session (includes practical studio session)
After travelling around the world to gather inspiration for items to take on a picnic, get ideas to inspire designs for a class picnic blanket. Look at textiles from India, the Islamic Middle East and designs by William Morris. In the studio, decorate a square of material that can be made up into a class picnic blanket back at school.

Perfect Patterns

1 hour session
Hunt for patterns in every corner of the Museum! See how many different kinds you can find and learn about incredible pattern designs from around the world. Look at designs from Iran, religious objects from Egypt and carved screens from an Indian palace.

2 hour session (includes practical studio session) - NEW!
Investigate tile design from the Islamic Middle East as well as other fantastic patterns around the museum to get inspiration to create your own tile design back in the studio.

Archi-Adventures

KS 1&2
2 hour session (includes practical studio session) - NEW!
See skylines and structures from around the world and spot the different materials and shapes along the way. Make a special archi-hat as a record of your architectural adventure.

Magical Medals (Spring & Summer terms only)

KS 1&2
2 hour session (includes practical studio session) - NEW!
Design and make a commemorative sporting medal. Get inspiring ideas from our fine collection of medals and original souvenirs from the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Teaching sessions for History

How Victorians Used to Live

KS 2
1 hour session
Discover how Victorians used to eat, what they used to wear and how they decorated their homes. Handle tableware, look at clothing and peek into a Victorian home. Explore the difference between then and now.

A Day at the Great Exhibition

KS 2
1 hour session
Find out what a visit to the Great Exhibition of 1851 would have been like and see some of the objects displayed there. Try on a crinoline and corset or gentleman’s overcoat.

2 hour session - led by costumed actor
Meet a Victorian museum worker to hear about their visit to the Exhibition and pitch your inventions for the Great Exhibition through role-play.

How We Used to Dress

KS 1&2
1 hour session
Find out what people wore long ago, from King James II’s wedding suit and a magnificent Mantua Court Dress to Victorian daywear. Try on a Victorian gentleman’s top hat and cravat or a day dress with bustle.

Houses & Homes

KS 1&2
1 hour session
What were homes like long ago? Step into period rooms and explore objects from Tudor and Victorian times.

Tudor Time Traveller

KS 2
1 hour session
Discover life in the time of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. See a letter from the King with his original writing box, find out how people furnished their homes and imagine taking a nap in the Great Bed of Ware.

Please note: From 5 March 2012 the Great Bed begins its journey back to Ware.  It is leaving the V&A on a year-long loan to the Ware Museum – the first time the Bed has ever been on loan to another venue. Read more

Ruffs and Ruffians! - led by costumed actor

KS 2
2 hour session
Help an actor from the Lord Chamberlain’s Men to stage Romeo and Juliet. Become a rowdy audience member, experiment with Shakespearean language, make stage sound effects and dress up as a performer in an Elizabethan ruff.

Curious Quills! - led by costumed actor

KS 2
2 hour session
Try writing with a goose quill and coloured inks after exploring original medieval illuminated manuscripts. Find out about life within the sacred walls of a Monastery and the effects of the Anglo-Saxon settlement with Monastic scribe, Brother Matthew.

Teaching sessions for Literacy

Every Object Tells a Story

KS 1&2
1 hour session
Discover the tales behind some of the Museum’s most spectacular objects! Look at Tipu’s Tiger, the Mantua Court dress and the Melville Bed.

2 hour session - led by professional actor
Role-play exercises encourage students to find their own stories in the objects, stretch their imagination and practise their speaking and listening skills.

Special educational needs

Our team can adapt our Primary or Secondary sessions for your SEN group. We are also happy to tailor sessions for particular groups, for example, students with SLD or PMLD that might require specialist provision. For further details or if you would simply like practical advice about making a visit with your group contact us at schools@vam.ac.uk