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Introduction

Our collection tells the stories of London’s transport past, present and future. Our rich and relatable content can be used to bring science, technology, art, literacy, local studies and sustainability to life for your students 

Join us for an interactive session, a self-guided visit, or explore our wealth of downloadable resources that explore the human stories and engineering wonders of London Transport. 

Onsite Sessions

Caribbean Journeys (onsite)

Available: Thursdays
Start times: 10.30, 11:30, 12:45
Duration: 50 minutes
Location: Covent Garden
Cost: £100 per workshop
Capacity: 30 children

From conductor to engineer, learn about the diverse and inspirational careers of London Transport’s Caribbean workforce. 

Join us for an immersive story telling session uncovering how Caribbean culture has shaped the way we travel and the city in which we live.   

Along with this onsite session, we have online resources to enhance classroom learning about the Windrush and Caribbean communities, exploring themes such as identity, belonging, racism, and discrimination, including films co-created with a local primary school based on the lives and inspirational careers of London Transport’s Caribbean workforce. You can find these on our resource page.

Through the session pupils will:  

  • Learn about the history of Windrush and Caribbean communities working for Transport for London  
  • Develop an appreciation of arts, culture and transport heritage in London
  • Understand and celebrate diversity in their own community and London Transport’s workforce
  • Practice and develop skills of empathy, enquiry, listening and speaking 
  • Curriculum links

    History 

    • a local history study 

    • a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066 

    Geography 

    • understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom [and] North or South America 

    English 

    • literacy and composition 

    • Drama 

Actor dressed as a historical transport worker speaking to children dressed in high vis tabards, with flags of the world hanging on the wall behind him

Coding the Capital (onsite)

Available: Wednesdays
Start times: 10.30, 11:30, 12:45
Duration: 50 minutes
Location: Covent Garden
Cost: £100 per workshop
Capacity: 30 children

London has the world’s very first underground network, but this claim to fame comes with many challenges. How do engineers integrate new technology into this historic system? How do we use coding on the underground? How can we use coding to help create a more sustainable underground network? 

In this hands-on session students will learn answers to all of the above and code trains for their own capital city, completing a series of challenges. Whether new to coding or an experienced coder, this session will bring to life the ways that coding can be used in the real world to solve problems that impact our everyday lives. 

During this session student will meet our STEM Ambassadors, giving them the opportunity to ask questions and work alongside engineers and professionals.  

This session builds your students’ problem-solving skills by working on real world problems facing transport engineers, while considering the ways that our city’s history shapes its sustainable future. 

Through the session pupils will: 

  • Explore the history of the underground    

  • Investigate how coding can be applied to real world examples 

  • Practise communication skills  

  • Develop problem solving skills 

  • Increase their Science Capital

  • Curriculum links

    Science 

    Year 3 & 4 

    • asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them 

    • setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests 

    • making systematic and careful observations and gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions 

    • reporting on findings from enquiries 

    • using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions 

    Year 5 & 6 

    • planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary 

    • using test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests 

    • reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of and degree of trust in results 

    Design and Technology 

    • the skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making 

    • work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, enterprise, industry and the wider environment 

    • generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion [and] prototypes [and] computer-aided design 

    • evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work 

    • understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world 

    • apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products. 

    Computing 

    • design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts 

    • use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output 

    • use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs 

The hands of uniformed schoolchildren reaching out to play with trains on train tracks on floor mats

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.  

Self-guided visits must be booked in advance.  

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

Start times: From 10.00 

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 

Museum guide wearing London Transport Museum t shirt and lanyard talking animatedly in front of a screen in a gallery, watched by group of students

Virtual offer

Throughout the year we host webinars to mark key moments in the calendar. Sign up to our mailing list to keep up to date with these engaging virtual events!  

graphic showing a red bus flying through a swirl of clouds

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.

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.

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers Key Stage 2 Bursary Scheme

We are delighted to be partnering with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers to offer bursary places to 13 primary schools to attend Key Stage 2 workshops at the museum between September 2023 and May 2024.

The bursary offers schools discounted travel to the museum on Uber Boat by Thames Clippers’ ultra-modern fleet. Whilst on the journey, students will take part in specially designed activities which open their eyes to the city of London and the iconic river Thames.

On arrival at the museum each school class will take part in free Coding the Capital or Caribbean Journeys workshop, paid for by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers. Schools may apply for up to three classes to take part through the scheme.

We welcome applications from schools who meet our eligibility criteria:

  • Over 30% Free School Meal eligibility
  • Located within walking distance or a short bus journey to an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier - see the map of pier locations

For more information and to receive an application form, please fill out an Expression of Interest form.

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