What to expect on your visit

This tool will help you to prepare your students for a visit to the Science Museum by showing them photographs of what they can expect to see when they get here.

Educational objective

Preparing your students for a visit at the Museum will show them what to expect and help them get the most out of the day.

Aims for students

To feel comfortable visiting the Museum
To have a sense of ‘ownership’ over their visit
To know about the uniforms worn by staff at the Museum
To know about key locations in the Museum that you can refer to, visit or use as meeting points
To be familiar with the journey to the Museum

Practicalities

Use this tool with any age group, but how much depth you go into will depend on the needs of your students.
This tool could be particularly useful for SEN groups, especially if some of the students are uncomfortable with new places and new people.
Below are some notes to accompany the slides, with useful information you may want to share with your students to fully prepare them for a visit. Some of it may just be of interest to you! For detailed guidance on visit planning, please visit plan and book a visit.

How to use the photo story before a visit

The photo story could be used as a short introductory lesson lasting 10 minutes or adapted as a resource for a longer lesson about what to expect.
The photo story can be projected onto a whiteboard and used simply to introduce the idea of going to the Museum and what can be expected.
You could cut out the images from the presentation and give them to students. They could then put them into the order that they expect to see the things shown.
For students with emotional and behavioural difficulties you could use the photo story to help provide structure for the visit. This would help to reinforce boundaries and prepare students for the day.
For students who find unfamiliar environments unsettling (e.g. those on the autistic spectrum) you can use this tool to brief them about the environment of the Museum, helping to reduce anxieties and create familiarity. The photo story provides visual cues about what students will see and do during their visit.
For students who are blind or partially sighted it may be useful to describe the images in the photo story so that when visiting the Museum they have a greater understanding of the environment they will encounter.

How to use the photo story during a visit

Print out the images and bring them with you. They could be used as a communication tool to encourage students to look for things in the images or to point to specific places that they want to visit.
If you print out the whole presentation and bring it with you on the day you could ask students to spot familiar sights on their route. You could use a map to point out where the images were taken.

How to use the photo story after a visit

The photo story could be used as a post-visit tool to help you recall and talk about what students saw in the Museum and other memories of the day.
Students could create their own presentations using this one as a basis and adding their own images – you could even e-mail them to us at edbookings@sciencemuseum.org.uk!
Students could place the images in the order in which they saw the things shown, giving them a memory aid for the rest of the visit.

Notes to go with slides

Slide 2 – Getting to the Museum

There are 6 public disabled parking spaces on Exhibition Road itself for badge holders. These are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
If your group has specific access needs we can also allocate a minibus parking space outside the Group Entrance of the Museum. This is limited and subject to availability. Please call the Learning Support Team on 0207 942 4777 for advice on this or to reserve a space for your group.

Slide 3 – Walking from the tube station

This slide shows you what you will see if walking to the Museum above ground. Alternatively you could use the underground tunnel, which takes you straight to the entrance of the Museum in about 10 minutes. The tunnel is rather long and not particularly well lit, so you may want to mention this in advance or avoid the tunnel if you think your students would be uncomfortable.
If you are travelling by coach you will be dropped off at the Main Entrance at the front of the Museum (image 3).
The Group Entrance is on Imperial College Road, and is signposted from the Main Entrance to the Museum.

Slide 4 – Arriving at the Group Entrance

We welcome large numbers of visitors every day, so you may have to queue outside the Group Entrance – but we will try to get you in as quickly as possible!
You will be greeted by a member of the Learning team, who will be wearing a red T-shirt.
When inside the Group Entrance your group may be asked to put on green learning stickers. Please put them on when you are further inside the Museum.

Slide 5 – The Group Entrance

If you are travelling to the Museum by coach you should encourage your group to leave as many of their possessions on the coach as possible. This will make moving around the Museum a lot easier. If you need to put your coats and bags away, your group will be given a cage.
The Group Entrance can be quite noisy and crowded. If you do not have to lock anything in the cages (for example bags and/or coats) you should be able to move through quite quickly.

Slide 6 – Coming in

This slide shows you what you will see as you enter the main part of the Museum from the Group Entrance. The Science Museum Shop will be on your left and the Energy Café on your right.
The Shop is most busy at lunchtimes and as school groups leave. We advise you to visit in the morning when it tends to be quieter.

Slide 7 – Useful places

There are toilets on every floor of the Museum.
Waiting for lifts can take a long time, so we suggest you use the stairs if possible. The pendulum staircase, between The Theatre and Energy Café, is the most direct route to the Energy and Launchpad galleries. It is called the ‘pendulum staircase’ because the stairwell houses Foucault’s pendulum.
Some of the lifts will only take you to specific floors, so make sure you check the signs as you enter. Launchpad can be accessed via the lifts at the Group Entrance (however these lifts do not go to the Basement). This is the easiest route to use if members of your group have access needs.

Slide 8 – Places where you can eat

The Museum's biggest eating area is in the basement and is called The Picnic Terrace, where visitors sit on the floor on tiered levels. As an alternative, Launchpad City, located next to Launchpad, provides a seated area with low benches.
Groups can also eat in any quiet uncarpeted areas of the Museum.
If you have an SEN group and you need a quiet and contained area to eat your lunch, please call the Learning Support Team (tel. 020 7942 4777) who may be able to book a separate room for you (subject to availability).

Slide 9 – People you will meet

All staff at the Museum wear a silver name badge, anyone wearing one of the uniforms you can see in these pictures can be contacted if a student gets lost.
Explainers can be found in all of the hands-on galleries and wear bright red t-shirts.
Security Warders look after the security of the building and can be found on all floors in the Museum.
Greeters will meet you when you enter and leave the Museum.
Front of House staff sell tickets for events and welcome you as you enter certain parts of the Museum.

Slide 10 – Hands-on galleries

Our hands-on galleries (Launchpad, Energy - Fuelling the Future, Pattern Pod and The Garden) are free but must be booked in advance. These areas encourage children to really get involved and try things out.
You will be welcomed into hands-on galleries by Explainers wearing bright red t-shirts of hoodies. They will give you a short briefing and tell you more about the gallery.
The Garden is situated in the basement, Pattern Pod is on the ground floor, Energy is on the second floor and Launchpad is on the third floor. You may want to mention this to your students if you are planning to visit any of these galleries.