Visit us
All school groups must be booked through the Education Department. Check out our sessions page, sign up to our teacher mailing list, or email education@fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk for more information. Bookings tend to be launched a term in advance for the term ahead, and they book up quickly. Most sessions and services are free and travel bursaries are available for schools meeting our criteria.
When you bring a group to the Museum you may wish to book a Museum educator or teach the class yourself. If visiting self-guided, learning resources are available to help you plan your own gallery session.
The first video below was designed to prepare school pupils for their trip to the Fitzwilliam Museum. It shows areas of concern to the children (e.g. lunch and location of the toilets). Increasing their expectations will result in enhanced experiences and learning outcomes.
The second short film on this page is a tour of the galleries in the museum and an overview of some of the artwork’s focused on in schools sessions.
Preparation
Please make sure you understand which parts of the visit are your responsibility and which are ours. We will hand over to you when your teaching session has finished, so you will need to prepare activities for the remainder of your visit. You might find our learning resources useful: these will enable you to research and structure your time spent self-guided. If you would like to arrange a pre-visit to the Museum a member of the Education team can also meet with you to discuss all aspects of your visit.
- Photography of the collections is permitted.
- Flash photography or video recording is prohibited.
- In some exhibitions, photography is prohibited.
Class sizes and adult/student ratios
As a general rule, groups being taught by Museum staff are limited to one class of approximately 30 children. However, it is sometimes possible to accommodate larger group visits by teaching in shifts.
The student/teacher ratio in the Museum should be:
- 1:7 pupils for KS1
- 1:10 pupils for KS2 and KS3
Lunch facilities
We have a schools’ lunch room which can be booked for your group. You may also eat in the grounds of the Museum or under the portico at our Main Entrance.
Transport and Parking
- There is no public parking space at the Museum, but there are two-hour meters in the immediate vicinity.
- Coaches may drop off and collect outside the Courtyard Entrance.
The Museum gates open at 10.00am. Please note that we are unable to admit access to the Museum or its grounds before this time. We aim for morning sessions to start in the galleries by 10.15.
Book your visit
It is absolutely essential that you book well in advance. The Museum reserves the right to refuse admittance to non-booked school groups. The office is very busy, so when making your booking you may need to leave a message on the answerphone. Please be as flexible as possible and have alternative dates ready. Do not book transport until your museum visit is fully booked.
The more we know, the more we can help. We will ask you about pupils that have any type of special needs, but beyond this, the more we know about your aims, requirements and pupils, the better we can achieve your aims.
Call us on: 01223 332904