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Introduction

Bring the history of transport to life through investigation, adventure, and imagination.  

Our Key Stage 1 sessions are led by experienced actors who guide your group through the Museum galleries, exploring our historic vehicles and the stories of the people who travelled and worked on them.  

Booking a facilitated session is a fantastic way to get up close and personal with the museum’s collection and experience hands on how London’s transport has changed over time. 

You can also book a free self-guided visit to explore the museum at your own pace.

Facilitated Sessions

Joe’s Busy Bus (onsite) 

Available: Wednesdays
Start times: 10.30, 11:15, 12.20, 13.05
Duration: 40 minutes 
Cost: £60
Capacity: 15 children

Join Joe Clough, our magical museum custodian and London’s first black bus driver, on a time travelling actor-led adventure through the Museum galleries.

Piecing together mysterious clues left by passengers on Joe’s bus, your class will get up close and personal with the Museum’s collection, discovering the vast array of jobs that make up Transport for London, and more importantly the diverse individuals that took them on. 

Read more about what to expect from Joe’s Busy Bus on our blog.

Through the session pupils will:

  • Explore different vehicles that have kept London moving and develop a greater understanding of the role that transport can play in a city
  • Learn about different jobs in transport in the past and present
  • See themselves reflected in the stories of the diverse people working for London Transport.
  • Discover that anyone can work in transport jobs when they grow up
  • Curriculum links

    History

    • Changes within living memory, revealing aspects of change in national life.
    • Significant historical events, people and places in London.
    • Identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
    • Develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
    • Ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.

    English

    • Listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers.
    • Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge.
    • Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions.
    • Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas.
    • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates.
    • Role-play can help pupils to identify with and explore characters and to try out the language they have listened to.
Man dressed in historical costume with white coat and khaki hat speaking to a group of schoolchildren in front of a historic vehicle in a museum gallery

Platform Promenade (onsite)

Available: Mondays
Start times: 10.30, 11:15, 12.20, 13.05

Duration: 40 minutes 
Cost: £60
Capacity: 15 children

Step inside our time-travelling machine and set off on an investigative journey through the Museum galleries. Discover how vehicles have changed over time and the fascinating ways people have travelled from A to B in this lively actor led session.

This session can also be booked by Reception.

Through the session pupils will:

  • Develop their understanding of the past as a concept.
  • Discover how travelling was different in the past.
  • Use team working skills to role play journeys from the past.
  • Investigate travelling in different ways depending on the type of vehicle that you are on.
  • Curriculum links

    History

    • Develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
    • Identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
    • Ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.

    Literacy

    • Listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers.
    • Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge.
    • Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions.
    • Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas.
    • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates.
    • Role-play can help pupils to identify with and explore characters and to try out the language they have listened to.

    Science

    • Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made.
    • Identify and name a variety of everyday materials.
    • Describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials.
Uniformed schoolchildren in a museum

Is This The Way Home? (onsite)

Start times: 10.30, 11:15, 12.20, 13.05
Available: Tuesdays
Duration: 40 minutes
Cost: £60
Capacity: 15 children

Join the mission to help Monty the Mole find his way home. Enjoy exclusive access to our historic vehicles and discover how travel in London has changed since we relied on horse-power to keep our city moving.

This session can also be booked by Reception.

Through the session pupils will:

  • Discover that you can travel in different ways depending on the type of vehicle that you are on.
  • Use team working skills to role play journeys from the past.
  • Develop problem solving skills to solve puzzles.
  • Learn about travelling from A to B.
  • Curriculum links

    History

    • Develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
    • Identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
    • Ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.

    Literacy

    • Listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers.
    • Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge.
    • Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions.
    • Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas.

    Geography

    • Use simple compass directions, locational and directional language, to describe the location of features and routes on a map.
    • Recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features.
    • Use basic symbols in a key.
Uniformed schoolchildren sitting inside a historic train carriage raising their hands to ask questions

Self-guided visits

Booking a free self-guided visit gives you the flexibility to plan your own learning and explore the Museum galleries at your own pace.

You will be provided with a timetable for using our lunch room and visiting the All Aboard play area.

Self-guided visits must be booked in advance.

Start times: From 10.00

Available: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during term time

Cost: Free, including adults within our recommended ratios. Additional adults must be booked and paid for in advance (discounted rate available). For more details see our Plan Your Visit page or speak to our bookings team.

Capacity: 30 children per day Monday-Thursday; 60 children per day on Fridays

A uniformed bus conductor holding historic ticket machine passing out cardboard tickets into the hands of schoolchildren

How to book

How to book

Please book by contacting our bookings team on 0343 222 5000: phone lines are open from 9:00-16:00 Monday-Friday, and 9:00-17:00 on Saturdays and Sundays.

For information about planning a schools session, visit our Plan your Schools Visit page.

What teachers say about the session...

The session was insightfully designed with just the right balance of informative and interactive content. The music and special effects and quality of acting were completely compelling.

Year 1 Class Teacher, Isaac Newton Academy

Thanks to our supporters

London Transport Museum school sessions are part of our Enjoyment to Employment programme.

Turning children’s enthusiasm for transport into a career in industry.

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