Updated February 2026

Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) comprises the Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum, Queen’s House, Royal Observatory and the Prince Phillip Maritime Collections Centre. 

RMG works with formal learning audiences as part of its online activities programme. This includes all educational online sessions that use conference call applications such as Teams and Zoom. 

The details within this policy statement apply to all Royal Museums Greenwich staff, freelancers and volunteers as well as participating teachers, parents, carers, children, young people, adults at risk involved in online workshop activities created and run by Royal Museums Greenwich. 

The purpose of this policy statement is to:

  • Ensure the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and adults at risk is paramount when adults, young people or children are using the internet.
  • Outline the responsibilities and safeguarding measures to be taken by Royal Museums Greenwich and also teachers and group leaders booking into sessions.
  • Provide insight into how Royal Museums Greenwich staff and volunteers will approach online safety when delivering any of the online programmes.
  • We believe that children and adults at risk should be able to use the internet for education and personal development but that safeguards need to be in place to ensure they are kept safe at all times.

We recognise that:

  • Online learning provides everyone with many opportunities; however it can also present risks and challenges.
  • Our staff at Royal Museums Greenwich have a duty of care to take all possible precautions to ensure that all children, young people, vulnerable persons and adults involved with our organisation are protected from potential harm online.
  • It is essential to promote online welfare for children, young people, vulnerable persons and support their teachers, parents, carers and other stakeholders to be responsible in their approach to online safety.
  • All participants accessing RMG’s online programmes, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse.

We will take all possible steps to ensure that children, young people and vulnerable persons engaging with our programmes are kept safe by:

  • Having a designated safeguarding lead within the organisation.
  • Providing clear and specific training to staff, guests and volunteers on how to behave and run sessions online safely.
  • Supporting and encouraging the young people using our service to use the internet in a way that keeps them safe and shows respect for others.
  • Developing clear and robust procedures that enable us to respond appropriately to any incidents of inappropriate online behaviour, whether by an adult or a child/young person.
  • The effective use of logins, passwords and accounts when appropriate to protect young people from unwanted approaches.•Minimizing the chance that footage, recording, photography or screenshots of participants is taken and used inappropriately.

We require you as the teacher or group leader to take all possible steps to ensure the children, young people and vulnerable persons engaging with our sessions are kept safe by:

  • Supporting and encouraging the young people you work with to use the internet responsibly and show respect for others.
  • Not recording any sessions. Any form of capturing the session is not accepted unless made by RMG with authority given by all participants and their teachers and carers/parents in advance.
  • Supplying sufficient supervision as outlined below:

Sessions to be streamed in school

  • At least one member of teaching staff must be in the session at all times. Pupils will not be allowed access into sessions until there is sufficient teacher or group leader supervision.

For students joining a session from home aged 

  • 0-7 years must have an adult with them at all times.
  • 7-13 years must have an adult within the same social space of their home at all times.
  • 14-18 years must join the session from a social space in their home.

Online sessions are very different to onsite sessions, so we would ask that you speak to your pupils about the differences in advance. This is so they know what to expect of us, of their teacher or group leader and what is expected of them too. It also allows you to have a conversation about what to do if they encounter something they are upset by. 

For example:

"The session we are about to take part in will be really enjoyable. It is different to a usual museum visit though, so there are some extra things to think about. When we join the session, we will be met by people who work at the museum. They will introduce themselves and be with us for the whole session, making sure it all works behind the scenes."

"The way we each behave in the session should be no different to how we would behave on a school trip; we must act responsibly and sensibly so we can all enjoy the experience. This includes thinking about the language we use as well as what we do whilst/if on screen. As always, we should be kind to and respectful of others in the session and their opinions."

"You will not be asked to share any personal information or reveal it to the camera by the museum staff, so please don’t do that. If you are concerned or upset about anything you see or hear in this session or any messages that you receive, tell the teacher and the person leading the session straight away."

In the event of an incident, we will:

  • Follow the clear and robust reporting procedures outlined in the Royal Museums Greenwich safeguarding guidelines to act quickly.
  • Ensure our response takes the needs of the person experiencing abuse, any bystanders and our organisation as a whole into account.
  • Review the effectiveness of the safeguarding procedures in light of any instances to mitigate any risks of the incident being repeated.
  • Provide regular support and training for all staff and volunteers on dealing with all forms of abuse, including bullying/cyberbullying, emotional abuse, sexting, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation.

The platforms we use have been made as safe as possible, but there are still risks associated. You can learn more about the two platforms we use, Zoom and Teams, below:

This Policy was created in June 2020 and reviewed in February 2026 in support of the launch of the online education programmes. This policy is a guide to ensure the protection and safety of children, young people and vulnerable persons accessing online activities when working.

Any concerns relating to this policy should be reported to the bookings team: bookings@rmg.co.uk.