School visits to the Royal Observatory

An exciting regeneration project is underway at the Royal Observatory and Peter Harrison Planetarium. As a result, the Royal Observatory's schools programme will not begin until January 2026.

Our brilliant Astronomy Education team are working on a refresh of our schools offer, and a temporary programme will be based at the National Maritime Museum from January. Booking will open in October 2025.

You can still use this form to book a self-guided tour of the Royal Observatory's historic north site, as well as our full schools programme at the National Maritime Museum, the Queen's House, Cutty Sark, and the Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre in Kidbrooke. 

Please read the following information carefully before completing this form.

All school sessions must be booked in advance. We do not accept provisional bookings. Once our Bookings Team confirms your booking, a confirmation letter will be sent to the lead teacher and school finance team. Please note we have a strict 28-day cancellation period. If you would like to know more about our cancellation fees, please refer to our booking terms and conditions below.

Our preferred payment method is BACS. Alternatively, you can pay by card by calling 020 8312 6608.

We do NOT send invoices or accept payment by cheques.

Terms and conditions
pdf, 713.05 KB
Download a list of all school sessions
pdf, 42.23 KB

 

Our schools programmes are very popular. Our schools enquiry form lists available sessions for 2025-2026 academic year. Unfortunately, if you cannot see a session listed, this means it is fully booked or not available this academic year.

School details

Is your school in the Royal Borough of Greenwich?
Is your school a state school?

Contact details

Please note: we require the contact details of at least two different staff to proceed with a booking.

Session details

Our schools programmes are very popular. Our Schools enquiry form lists available sessions for 2025-2026 academic year. Unfortunately, if you cannot see a session listed, this means it is fully booked or not available this academic year.

Please note that the Royal Observatory is open for self-guided visits only. No Planetarium shows will be available until late 2026.

Please refer to the list of onsite school sessions in the PDF above.

It is our strong recommendation that teachers visit the Pirates exhibition in advance to assess its suitability for their learners, particularly at primary level. Please refer to our exhibition guidance for teachers before making your booking enquiry.

Pirates - Guidance for teachers
pdf, 324.4 KB

Please note: Astronomy Photographer of the Year Exhibition is located at the National Maritime Museum.

Lunch room

You will be allocated an available lunch space when you book a session or workshop (excluding KS5)

Pre-booked lunch spaces are not available to self-guided groups at any site. Picnic space may be available on the day of your visit, but this cannot be guaranteed

Including if you would like to visit an additional site, include a visit to one of our galleries or if you would like to request a bursary for your Cutty Sark visit. Find out if your school is eligible.
Please refer to the set start times listed in the session description. If your preferred choice is unavailable, we will offer you the next available time. Session timings cannot be adjusted.
Write "N/A" if your first-choice date isn't flexible.
Write "N/A" if your first and second choice dates aren't flexible.

Group details

You must have enough staff to meet the following supervision requirements:

  • EYFS (Nursery) – 1 adult per 3 students 
  • EYFS (Reception)  – 1 adult per 5 students
  • KS1  – 1 adult per 5 students
  • KS2 - 1 adult per 8 students
  • KS3 and KS4 - 1 adult per 10 students
  • Post-16 – 1 adult per 16 students.
  • Adults providing any one-to-one support for students must be in addition to the above.
  • We reserve the right to deny entry into our facilitated learning sessions if the supervision requirements are not met.

Method of payment

Please note that finance details are required even if sessions are free, as all sessions can be subject to a cancellation fee. Please download our terms and conditions for more information.

Please note: Submission of this enquiry form does not commit you to your initial request or to make payment until a booking has been arranged by email and a final confirmation statement has been sent.

Terms and conditions

Click here to view our helpful risk assessment guidelines and templates

The information you submit in this form will not be shared with any third parties. It will be used solely by the learning and bookings teams at Royal Museums Greenwich.

For more information, please click here to see our privacy policy.

Please note: Our Bookings Team will be in touch with the lead teacher to confirm your booking as soon as possible.