Schools' and colleges' visit information

At the Summer Science Exhibition we welcome over 100 school and college groups to explore the current UK science we have on display. Groups who have been allocated a visit time to this year's exhibition will have had a visit time confirmed by email. If you have not pre-booked, you may have to queue to enter the exhibition. 

For your school or college group visit, please see below for all the information you need to know before and on the day of your visit. 

If any reasons arise which may affect your visit, we will provide updates via our twitter page and we recommend you check this in advance of your visit. 

Jump to: 

• Risk assessment and photography 
• Getting here and parking
• Arriving at the Royal Society
• The exhibits
• Facilities on site and nearby 
• Contact us 

Risk assessment and photography

Risk assessment

The Royal Society is committed to providing its visitors with a safe environment and an enjoyable visit. We have updated our procedures and risk assessments for school and college visits to the Summer Science Exhibition. Please download and read through the health, safety and security information for schools and colleges before your visit. The risk assessments for all individual exhibits will be available in hard copy format at the exhibition.

For your visit, you must bring two hard copies of your group register. One of these registers will need to be handed to us when you register. To see how the exhibits are arranged this year, please download a copy of the exhibition map. 

We would like to ask teachers to encourage students to leave bags at school or bring as small a bag as possible. There will be added security at the exhibition including scanning equipment and bag searches. Please make sure your students are aware of this beforehand and ensure your students will be sensible and cooperative.

In case of any incidents that may affect your visit to the exhibition, please check our twitter page as above. 

Photography and filming

All schools must download and complete the photography consent form and present it to the information desk when you arrive at the exhibition. Note that this form is different to previously, so please do check through it. 

At certain times during the exhibition, there will be filming and photography taking place. For example, a film crew will be at the exhibition on Monday 3 July. If any of your students do not wish to be filmed or photographed then please indicate on the photography consent form for all relevant students.

Getting here and parking

The exhibition is located at the Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London and is within easy reach of public transport and accessible by road, with nearby parking. For detailed information on getting to the Royal Society, local public transport, nearby parking and accessibility, please see the dedicated page on our website.

Arriving at the Royal Society

On arriving, your group will be welcomed by a member of staff at the entrance to number 6, the Royal Society, who will help you get your group registered before entering the exhibition. You should arrive at the beginning of your allocated visit time, if this is not possible due to delays, for example, please contact us to let us know. 

The registration process should not take more than 10 minutes and will include a briefing for you and your students, outlining all the information you will need for your visit, and receiving wristbands that must be worn whilst at the exhibition. Please note that all groups must be accompanied by at least one school or college member of staff and we will ask them to confirm their mobile number during registration in case of emergency.  

Once your group has been fully registered, you and your students are free to explore the exhibition. A map of the exhibition can be downloaded in advance of the exhibition, or picked up when you arrive. Whilst visiting, please be aware that the exhibition is open to the public too, and the Royal Society is also a workplace and therefore there are areas which are for staff only within the building.

At the end of your visit, we would like to encourage you and your students to let us know what you thought and we will send you electronic links to a survey.

Deposit information

Any deposits will be refunded to the card they were paid from within two weeks after the Summer Science Exhibition. If your group size reduced by more than 25% of the number booked and you notified us of the change before 19 May 2017, your deposit will not be forfeit. Any deposits paid by cheque will be securely disposed of if they are not forfeit.

The exhibits

There are 22 interactive exhibits at the Summer Science Exhibition on everything from hunting black holes to mimicking photosynthesis, giving something to discover for every student and teacher.

To see the full list of exhibits and learn more about the science they will be displaying, please see the exhibits webpages. As a reminder, this year we will not be running dedicated school talks, to allow groups more time to see and interact with the exhibits on show. 

To see how the exhibits are arranged this year, please download a copy of the exhibition map. 

Facilities on site and nearby

Food and drink

To make the best use of your time at the exhibition, we recommend that your group eats lunch before or after your visit and that your students refrain from eating at the exhibition, unless in the café area.

As the Royal Society is located opposite St James’s Park and near Trafalgar Square, there are many local cafés, sandwich shops and picnic places. We therefore encourage you to bring packed lunches and find a suitable place for lunch in advance. There is a café on site, serving a range of drinks and snacks; however due to the high volume of visitors expected, if your group does choose to purchase lunch at the café, please try to take it to one of the nearby parks if the weather permits. 

Cloakroom

For security reasons, we encourage students to not bring coats and large bags with them. However, if needed, an un-staffed cloakroom is available on the basement floor.

Toilets

The main toilets are in the basement (accessible by lift). There are accessible toilets on the ground floor behind the reception area and in the basement.

Multi-use room

There will be a multi-use room available on the ground floor for personal or reflective use. To use this room, please see a member of staff.

Contact us

If you have any queries regarding school and college visits to the Summer Science Exhibition, please contact Steven via education@royalsociety.org or 020 7451 2531.