Terms & Conditions for Learning Groups visiting the Design Museum

1. DEFINITION OF TERMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1.1. A “Learning Group” refers to any organised group of 5 or more learners (“Students”) visiting the Design Museum as part of their studies and accompanied by teaching staff. This includes visiting or participating in the Design Museum’s exhibitions, public displays, workshops or any other learning activities.

1.2. "Your Organisation” refers to the school, college, university, home education group, or other educational institution which has booked as a Learning Group.

1.3. The Design Museum (“the Museum”) refers to the main museum building at 224-238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG, as well as the High Street Shop. Museum staff are not consistently present in the Dame Sylvia Crowe Garden, fountain area or undercroft. The Museum is not responsible for Learning Groups in Holland Park, or any of the buildings or outside areas of the Hollandgreen Place estate.

1.4. “Accompanying Adults” are staff members, parents, teaching assistants, carers or support workers, or other responsible adults attending the museum with a Learning Group for the purpose of chaperoning or safeguarding. This includes the designated Group Leader (see below). Accompanying Adults remain responsible for Students’ behaviour and safeguarding at all times while in the Museum, including during workshop sessions.

1.5. Every Learning Group must have a designated “Group Leader” who will be present during the group’s visit to the museum, and whose name and contact number are provided to the Museum at point of booking. If the designated individual becomes unable to attend, it is your Organisation’s responsibility to designate an alternative Group Leader and promptly notify the Learning and Bookings teams of their name and contact number.

2. SUPERVISION AND SAFEGUARDING

2.1. Adult-to-Student ratios.
All Learning Groups must include sufficient Accompanying Adults to fulfil the minimum supervision ratios for the youngest student(s) in your group. These ratios must be maintained if your group splits up while exploring the Museum. Failure to comply will result in admission being refused. All Accompanying Adults should be aware of the standards of behaviour the group is expected to adhere to; please find these detailed in point 6 below.

Age of youngest student(s)

Minimum ratio:
Up to 6 years old 1:6
7-10 years old 1:8
11-16 years old 1:10
Over 16 years old 1 adult per booking (additional free entry allowance for up to 1 adult per 10 students)

2.2. Free exhibition entry for Accompanying Adults.
To support Accompanying Adults in their role, all Learning Group exhibition bookings include free entry for the required number of adults (based on ratios above). Additional adults will need to pay an £8 entry fee each. If you wish to book additional Accompanying Adults to support specific access or behaviour needs, please contact the Bookings Team (bookings@designmuseum.org).

2.3. Lanyards.
Each Accompanying Adult should collect a Learning lanyard on arrival. We ask that these be kept visible on your person for the duration of your visit, to allow our staff to identify you easily.

2.4. Medical needs, allergies and access requirements.
You must make us aware of any medical needs, allergies, or access requirements when booking. The Museum will take all reasonable steps to mitigate medical or allergy-related risk in the building and will have staff with First Aid training on site; however, the Group Leader is responsible for any provision and, if necessary, administration of appropriate medication (e.g. EpiPens).

We do not currently offer SEND-specific activities for schools and educational institutions, but we may be able to make suggestions or adjustments to our regular Learning offer to accommodate additional needs around mobility, sensory processing, SpLDs, English language proficiency, or anything else you are able to share with us.

2.5. Fire protocol.
If you hear the fire alarm, you must gather all students under your supervision and exit the building immediately, without using lifts or stopping to collect belongings. Museum staff and/or your workshop facilitator will support you in this. Once outside, you must continue moving away from the building until you reach our designated assembly point on Kensington High Street, immediately outside the High Street Shop.
Once at the designated assembly point, the Group Leader (or appropriate Accompanying Adult) must ensure every member of the group is accounted for and inform a Museum staff member if anyone is missing.
Please download our fire evacuation map to find details of emergency evacuation chairs, fire refuge emergency contact points, and our designated assembly point. [download link]

2.6. Risk assessments.
Learning Groups are responsible for completing their own risk assessments if required. Our template is available to download here.

3. FURTHER DETAILS ON BOOKING YOUR VISIT

3.1. General entry and free displays.
General admission to the Museum and public displays is free. However, we ask that Learning Groups still book ahead to support the smooth running of our operations, and so we can notify you in case of display changeover or events which may impact your visit. This can be easily done through our online Ticketing portal.

3.2. Availability and rates for paid exhibitions.
Please note that all group concessions, including Learning Group rates, must be booked and confirmed in advance of your visit; we cannot guarantee any group concessions requested on the day.

3.3. We offer special Learning Group rates for paid temporary exhibitions, for bookings fulfilling all of the following conditions:

R Group contains at least 5 students
R Visit takes place during term time (based on the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea term dates)
R Visit takes place outside of the first or last two weeks of the exhibition’s run

Groups fulfilling all the criteria above can book fixed exhibition entry slots, available in the morning and early afternoon. The rates are charged according to students’ education stage (with free entry for Accompanying Adults to ensure groups can meet our adult-to-student ratios in section 2.2).

Education stages and fees:

Primary, Secondary, or Further Education and College:
Fee per student £3

University or other Higher Education: Fee per student £5

Groups booking outside of the Learning Group slots may be able to access a general group discount or other concessionary rate(s). Please email the Bookings Team well ahead of time to find out more.

3.4. Booking confirmations.
If booking through our online portal, you will receive an automated confirmation email containing your ticket QR codes and booking reference number. From this point, our standard cancellation policy applies (see Sections 8 and 9).
If you do not receive a confirmation email, please check your Spam or Junk folder before contacting bookings@designmuseum.org from the same email address provided in the booking.
If you request a booking through the Bookings Team or via our download our Coach Policy document to find out more.
The Museum is close to several public transport links: find more information, including a list of Tube, Overground and National Rail connections on our Getting here webpage.

4.3. What to bring.
The Museum will provide any materials and stationery necessary for workshops, but refreshments are not provided. You can bring packed lunches and water bottles, which can be refilled on Level -1.

5. FACILITIES

5.1. Toilets are available on all floors. Accessible toilets are located on Levels -1, Ground, and 2. Workshop groups have additional access to toilets on Level 1. Museum staff can provide further information about accessible facilities.

5.2. Lifts are located on the North and South sides of the building, providing access to all floors.

5.3. Eating and lunch spaces.
All visitors may eat on the Mezzanine, Atrium Steps (outside of the allocated workshop group times), or outdoors in the Dame Sylvia Crowe Garden (or outside the Museum in neighbouring Holland Park) on a first-come-first-serve basis.
All visitors may purchase food or drink in the Design Museum Kitchen and Cafe to consume there (no outside food permitted in these spaces). Workshop groups are allocated timeslots to use the Atrium steps as a lunch space – see Section 7.

6. CONDUCT AND BEHAVIOUR

Ahead of your visit, please remind Students and Accompanying Adults of the behaviour expected in the Museum, and the need for Accompanying Adults to remain with their Students at all times.

6.1. In the Museum’s galleries and display spaces.
- Do not touch objects and displays unless the label or Museum staff invite you to do so.
- No running in interior spaces.
- Talking and discussion are welcomed, but shouting is not. - Paint, inks or other ‘wet’ media are not permitted unless provided by the Museum as part of a workshop, event or interactive display.
- Non-flash photography of the Museum building and displays is permitted unless signage indicates otherwise.
- Do not intentionally photograph museum staff or members of the public without their consent; you may be asked to delete the image, and will be removed if you refuse to do so.
- No food or drink is allowed in the galleries and display spaces at any time, except water in a closed container.
- Please do not leave rubbish in the rest areas, place it in the bins provided throughout the museum instead.
- Museum staff are there to help; please listen to their instructions and treat them with respect.

6.2. Up to 10 students are permitted in each Design Museum Shop (Atrium, exhibition exit, and High Street) at any given time. Students in any of the shops must always be with at least one Accompanying Adult.

**6.3. Only goods purchased on-site may be consumed in the Design Museum cafe and the Design Museum kitchen.

6.4. Staff interactions.
All Design Museum staff can be identified by their ID badge and lanyard. The Visitor Experience Assistants wear denim aprons for additional visibility: they are here to look after our displays, objects, and most importantly all of our visitors’ safety and comfort. Please ensure all members of your Learning Group listen to our staff and follow their guidance or instructions. Staff must be treated with respect. Any form of abuse or harassment will not be tolerated, and visitors behaving in a way that contravenes this will be asked to leave.

6.5. Your Group or Organisation’s responsibility.
You remain responsible for any acts or omissions of the Group Leader, Accompanying Adults, and Students while in the museum, including but not limited to damage to museum property or disruption to other visitors. The Museum reserves the right to refuse or cancel bookings from institutions or establishments who display repeated or egregious misbehaviour.

7. WORKSHOP GROUPS

In addition to all standard T&Cs covered on this page, some facilities and processes apply only to Learning Group bookings that include a workshop.

7.1. Sign-in for workshop groups. Upon arrival the Group Leader should sign in at the ticket desk. They will be asked to provide a deposit (this can be an item of non-monetary value such as ID or keys) in exchange for an access pass and locker key, before being directed upstairs to the bag storage and workshop spaces.

7.2. Workshop facilities and access. Standard workshop spaces are on Level 1 and can be accessed via all lifts in the building. All workshop bookings include: - Access to storage space for bags and coats, - Access to additional toilets in the Learning Corridor - Reserved access to the Atrium Steps at allocated times for lunch.

Download the Workshop Information Sheet for further details.

7.3. TIMINGS
We offer 2 workshop slots a day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during term time (based on the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea academic calendar). These slots are at set times to accommodate lunches and workshops for other Learning Groups each day; if your group arrives late, we may need to cut your session short to ensure the next session can begin on time.

7.4. Supervision during workshops.
Accompanying Adults must remain present and responsible for managing students’ behaviour throughout the session. This will allow our facilitators to deliver each workshop to the best of their ability and make the most of your students’ time with us.

7.5. Handling collections and workshop equipment.
All workshops invite students to get hands-on with a curated selection of handling objects, some of which may be delicate or messy if not handled with care. Please help us remind students to treat these objects with respect, so they can be used by future learners.
Some handling objects are made from organic materials which may provoke allergies, so please make the Museum aware of any severe allergies (particularly airborne) when booking or as soon as they come to your attention.

8. CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS MADE BY YOUR ORGANISATION

8.1. How to cancel or request changes to a booking.
Any request to change or cancel a confirmed Learning Group booking must be made in writing to the Bookings Team via bookings@designmuseum.org. If changes are requested within a week of the visit date, if you are running very late on the day, or similar, please also Cc the Learning team at learning@designmuseum.org.

8.2. Refund policy.
Cancellations requested at least 30 calendar days prior to the original booked date can be rescheduled (subject to availability) or refunded in full. Otherwise, full charges apply.
Please note we cannot promise refunds or exchanges in cases of late cancellation due to circumstances outside of your organisation’s control, such as transport strikes or disruptions, government restrictions, illness or medical appointments, extreme weather events or caring arrangements for dependents falling through.
The museum cannot be responsible for travel arrangements or expenses incurred to travel to the museum.

8.3. Free self-led visits.
If you cancel a free booking (i.e. self-led visit to public displays), we kindly ask that you notify the Bookings Team so we can offer your slot to another group.

9. CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS MADE BY THE DESIGN MUSEUM

On occasion, the museum may need to cancel activities due to unforeseen circumstances. If this happens, the Bookings Team will contact you and offer any alternatives as soon as possible.

9.1. Refunds.
If you have already paid and cannot take up the suggested alternatives in the case of a cancellation initiated by the museum, the Museum will refund any payments made in full.

9.2. Limitation of liability.
The Museum is not responsible for any travel arrangements or additional expenses incurred by your Organisation upon cancellation of a Learning Group booking.

10. LIABILITY

10.1. Lost or stolen items.
The Museum accepts no responsibility for safekeeping of any items belonging to a Learning Group. It is the Learning Group’s responsibility to ensure that students and accompanying adults collect all personal possessions at the end of their visit.

10.2. Our responsibility.
The Museum's liability for any loss or damage you suffer is limited to the fees paid to the Museum for your booking, except where the law does not allow us to limit our liability (for example, for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud).

10.3. Circumstances beyond our control.
We are not liable for any failure to perform our obligations under these T&Cs if the failure is caused by circumstances beyond our control, including but not limited to fire, flood, extreme weather, industrial action, or government restrictions.

11. GETTING IN TOUCH

• Bookings, cancellations and payments: Please contact the Bookings Team via bookings@designmuseum.org

• Educational content and special arrangements: Please contact the Learning Team via learning@designmuseum.org

• Bespoke learning activities: Please contact the Design Museum Academy Team via designmuseumacademy@designmuseum.org

• For urgent changes or if in doubt, please email both the Learning and Bookings teams.

When emailing Bookings, please preface your subject line with EDU. If you already have a confirmed booking, please include the booking date in your subject line as well as your booking reference number in the body of the email. This helps us process your enquiry more quickly and efficiently. Thank you.