Located in Kidbrooke, The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre is home to Royal Museums Greenwich's stored collections and state-of-the-art conservation studios.

You can explore the collection that is not currently on display and discover how objects are cared for and conserved. 

Primary school sessions focus on the science and art of materials, our collection of maps, charts and globes, and using the collection as inspiration for writing. 

SEND learners explore materials in a session specially tailored to meet the needs of the group. 

Secondary groups explore behind the scenes and meet the specialists who work here.

The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre

Our school sessions support learners to build scientific investigation skills, visual literacy, critical thinking, historical enquiry, language skills and more.

To find out more about what we offer for home education groups, please see our home education page. 

Book an onsite school session

School bookings for 2025-26

Bookings for the autumn term 2025 will open on Monday 30 June.  

Bookings for spring and summer terms 2026 will open on Monday 20 October.

Please wait until these dates to submit a booking enquiry form for the relevant term.

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Onsite school sessions 2025-26

Expand each title for more information

EYFS/KS1 Investigate materials
LocationPrince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
Curriculum linksPSHE, Science, History, Art
Session timesTuesdays & Wednesdays 10.30-12.00 13.00-14.30
Capacity30 pupils per group
Price£90 per session, Free for Greenwich & Lewisham state schools

What causes damage to different materials and how can they be looked after? Put on a lab coat and become a conservator. Use practical scientific methods and skills to identify materials and their different properties. This session also includes a behind-the-scenes look at one of our favourite objects.

Pupils will:

  • Use practical scientific methods, processes and skills
  • Perform simple tests
  • Observe and use observations to answer questions
  • Discover threats to objects and how to look after them
SEND materials that matter
LocationPrince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
SEND stagePre-key stage, SLD, MLD, PMLD, ASC, EBD sensory and physical learning, Communication and interaction skills
Curriculum linksPersonal development, Science, Understanding the world
Session timesTuesday and Wednesday (flexible times) 
Capacity10 pupils per session (including 3 wheelchair users)
PriceFree

Have you ever wondered how the Museum cares and looks after all the special objects within the collection? Become a conservator, explore objects made from varied materials and experience ways to look after your own special collections.

Pupils will:

  • Show awareness of different materials and their properties
  • Develop communication skills through expressing preferences and opinions
  • Develop an understanding of how to store and care for their own possessions
KS2 Art and Science matters
LocationPrince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
Curriculum linksScience, Art & Design, History
Session timesTuesdays & Wednesdays 10.30-12.00 13.00-14.30
Capacity30 pupils per group
Price£90 per session, Free for Greenwich & Lewisham state schools

Come and see what happens behind the scenes in a museum. Visit a studio and meet a conservator whose job is to repair and prepare paintings and objects for display. Discover how dyes and pigments are made and the artistic and scientific differences between them. Wear a lab coat and take part in a practical experiment exploring filtering, evaporation and solubility.

Pupils will:

  • Experiment with materials that dissolve in liquid
  • Recover substances from a liquid using filtering
  • Discover how dissolving, mixing and changes of state can be reversible
KS2 maps, charts and globes
LocationPrince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
Curriculum linksHistory, Geography, Design & Technology 
Session timesTuesdays & Wednesdays 10.30-14.00
Capacity30 pupils per group
Price£90 per session, free for Greenwich & Lewisham state schools

How has navigation changed, and what can different maps, charts and globes tell us? The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre has a unique collection of historic globes and maps. Visit the stores and explore a map made over 600 years ago as well as two very different globes. Use globes to help identify and label different places in the world. Use your discoveries to make globes which can be taken back to school.

Pupils will:

  • Identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, the Equator, the Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circles, and the Prime Meridian in Greenwich
  • Use maps, atlases and globes to locate countries
  • Develop an understanding of the history of mapmaking
KS2 Mystery story store
LocationPrince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
Curriculum linksHistory, English
Session timesTuesdays & Wednesdays 10.30-12.00, 13:00-14:30
Capacity30 pupils per group
Price£90 per session, Free for Greenwich & Lewisham state schools

Discover intriguing museum objects and visit the mystery story store to inspire story writing. The mystery story store is a magical space in one of the collection stores, where you can open drawers, handle objects and play a musical instrument. It is also a home for stories. Pupils use their discoveries as inspiration for their own stories which can be returned to us to be kept in the store as part of our collection.

  • Develop historical enquiry skills
  • Plan, discuss and record ideas for creative writing
  • Identify audience and purpose for writing
  • Write a high-quality creative story which will go into the collection
KS3/4/5 Behind the scenes
LocationPrince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
Curriculum linksHistory, Science, Art
Session timesTuesdays & Wednesdays 10.00-12.00, 13:00-15:00
Capacity10 pupils per group
Price£45 per session, Free for Greenwich & Lewisham state schools

What happens behind the scenes at a museum? Visit the collections store and conservation studios to find out about museum jobs and meet people who help put an exhibition together - from object delivery to display. 

Students will:

  • Learn about different careers within the museum sector
  • Understand how an exhibition is planned
  • Meet employees of the Museum and learn about their roles
  • Visit the stores and choose a collection item they would like to display
  • Develop their cultural capital

Join our community garden

On the grounds of our conservation and storage facility,  we have a secret garden.  Our community garden is a place where people of all ages can get involved, learn new skills, develop an understanding of nature and discover heritage and history through the growth of vegetation.

We offer opportunities for local schools or clubs to join us for facilitated sessions for free. If your school or club are interested in using this rich resource in the heart of Kidbrooke please email ppmcc@rmg.co.uk.

Learners enjoying one of our Garden Clubs