My Itinerary ({: itinerary.length :})
School Visits
Our Learning Team is looking forward to taking your booking so do get in touch to arrange your school trip and secure your session. Email us at [email protected] or call on 01865 790050.
We offer a range of tailored sessions from Nursery to Key Stage 3. We are able to create bespoke sessions for any age group including Key Stage 4 and 5 and FE students. Our sessions are designed to help your students develop spoken language, engage in collaborative, social play and discover our shared oral and literary cultural heritage. Curriculum links include:
- Literacy
- English Literature
- PSHE
- Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
- Local and world history
- Human and physical geography
“The children LOVED the Story Museum, and I know they took a lot away from the sessions. The Story Leader was fantastic with the children and her storytelling really captured them.” - Year 5 teacher June 2025
"I cannot think of anything to improve the day. The activities were totally appropriate -challenging but fun. The setting is stunning and the session leaders were warm, inspirational and totally engaging.”
-Teacher on a visit, May 2023
Option 1 - Small Worlds
A two-hour session exploring our Small Worlds gallery chosen from the selection below.
Suitable for: Nursery, EYFS & Year 1
Length of session: 2 hours
Session times: 10:00-12:00 or 12:30-14:30
Cost: £220+VAT per class of up to 32 students
Option 2 - Galleries tour and literacy session
An hour exploring The Story Museum's immersive Galleries, followed by an hour-long themed literacy session chosen from the selection below.
Suitable for: Years 1-13, depending on the chosen literacy session
Content of session: Gallery visit and literacy workshop
Length of session: 2 hours
Session times: 10:00-12:00 or 12:30-14:30
Cost: £220+VAT per class of up to 32 students
Option 3 - City Story Walk
A story-themed walk through Oxford to see iconic places in the city that inspired its most famous fantasy writers. Choose your themed-walk from Alice, Narnia or a local history-based Wonderwalk (see below for details)
Suitable for: Years 2-13
Content of session: Outdoor walk around the city of Oxford
Length of session: 2 hours
Session times: 10:00-12:00 or 12:30-14:30
Cost: £220+VAT per class of up to 32 students
Click here to listen to a short Podcast of one of our Story Walks made by children on one of our skills courses
Option 4 - Day of Delight
Combine Option 2 (Gallery visit and literacy session) with Option 3 (City Story Walk)
Suitable for: Years 2-13
Content of session: Gallery visit, literacy session, City Story Walk
Length of session: 4 hours 30 minutes (including 30-minute lunch break)
Session times: 10:00-14:30
Cost: £325+VAT per class of up to 32 students
Option 5 - Day of Discovery
Combine Option 1 (Small Worlds visit and literacy workshop) with a Galleries tour and further storytelling activity
Suitable for: EYFS-Year 1
Content of session: Small Worlds, literacy session, Galleries visit, storytelling activity
Length of session: 4 hours (including a 30-minute lunch break)
Session times: 10:00-14:00
Cost: £325+VAT per class of up to 32 students
Select a session for your class:
EYFS-Y1 |
KS1 |
KS2 |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery Pic'n'mix | Story Porridge | Story Portals |
| Story Play | Story Tricksters | Fantasy Map Mission |
| Story Detectives | Young Storytellers | |
| Story Detectives | ||
KS3 |
SEND |
Custom-Made Sessions |
| Museum Maker | Sensory Storytelling (Email with request) |
Bespoke Museum Maker (Email with request) |
| Fantasy Map Mission | Bespoke Session
(Email with request) |
|
| Write at The Story Museum | Oral Storytelling Techniques: Year 12 - Adults in FE |
“The trips have been age-appropriate and engaging for every year group, with pupils coming back to school buzzing.“ - Deputy-head teacher May 2025
Nursery Pic'n'mix
Students enter our Small Worlds gallery to explore the range of worlds and activities and choose their favourites. The session includes a mixture of structured oral storytime and songs as well as free play in the different environments and craft.
Outcome: A craft, a shared song or story
Story Play
Students enter our Small Worlds gallery to explore a magical land of picture books, nursery rhymes and traditional tales. In a story-building workshop they create their own mini story landscapes and imagine the episodes that could unfold within their enchanting new world.
Outcome: speaking and listening presentation
Story Porridge
Students will join in with a participatory retelling of a traditional folk tale and discover a wealth of oral stories in the Whispering Wood. Working in groups they will explore the classic device of the Rule of 3 to create their own story.
Outcomes: speaking and listening presentation
Story Tricksters
Students will explore the Whispering Wood and meet classic Trickster figures like Anansi the Spider and Reynard the Fox in traditional oral stories. Through listening, exploring, and playful retelling, they’ll uncover the cleverness of these timeless characters—before crafting and sharing their own original Trickster-inspired stories in groups.
Outcomes: speaking and listening presentation
Story Detectives
Inspired by our exhibition, 'Mystery Academy: School for Young Detectives’, students will explore the exciting role of a detective through oral storytelling – looking for clues, solving mysteries and finding suspicious suspects. Students then devise a mystery story that will keep their classmates guessing! Can they follow the clues and discover the truth? Or will the mystery remain unsolved?
Outcomes: speaking and listening presentation
Story Portals
Students will explore magical portals used in classic stories featured in The Enchanted Library, from the Rabbit Hole down into Wonderland to the Wardrobe through to snowy Narnia. Students then take part in group drama activities to conjure their own magical portal and stimulate the beginning of a new story.
Outcomes: speaking and listening presentation
Fantasy Map Mission
Students will encounter the classic structure of the Quest story, and explore maps found in many popular children’s stories such as J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, C. S. Lewis' Narnia and A. A. Milne's Hundred Acre Wood. Students will be transported into different fantasy worlds in The Enchanted Library before inventing their own maps to support story creation.
Outcomes: speaking and listening presentation, fantasy map
Museum Maker
In this creative workshop inspired by The Enchanted Library, students will uncover the secrets behind The Story Museum’s curation process, exploring how narratives come alive in physical spaces. Through close reading and analysis of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, students will design their own multi-sensory story environment.
Outcomes: speaking and listening presentation or illustrated and annotated design
Young Storytellers
Students will explore the rich world of traditional oral storytelling by listening and joining in with captivating tales from across the globe. Through active listening, dramatic participation, and creative discussion, they’ll uncover the essential ingredients of powerful storytelling—character, setting, theme, and plot structure. Guided by these timeless techniques, students will then craft and present their own imaginative stories.
Outcomes: speaking and listening presentation
Write at The Story Museum
The Story Museum's evocative settings provide the perfect environment to give your students' writing experience a lift. Guided by a Story Leader, your students will explore the Museum's story-based environments with a view to crafting imaginative new pieces of writing.
Outcomes: written draft
Bespoke Museum Maker
A revitalising approach to your own class set text. The students will explore The Story Museum's curation process and then design an immersive narrative environment based on close reading and analysis. Please let us know in advance the text you would like us to base the session on.
Additional charge £100+VAT
Outcomes: speaking and listening presentation; illustrated and annotated design using quotations
Oral Storytelling Techniques: Year 12-Adults in FE
This session is a 1-hour introduction to oral storytelling techniques, using theories from ancient, modern and contemporary storytellers as well as a 1-hour accompanied tour of our story-themed galleries.
Please note that this session is for further education institutions only, such as teacher training colleges and universities. If you are a school or institution looking for in-service, continuing professional development training for your staff members, please click here for details of our CPD and adult training sessions.
Alice Story Walk: Years 2-4
Come on a walk through the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. We'll begin at The Story Museum, then walk along to Christ Church Meadow, the location of many sites that inspired Lewis Carroll. As your Story Leader retells the story, we'll have a Caucus Race, a Caterpillar Contest, a Game of Red Queen Says and fun with riddles and charades along the way.
Narnia Story Walk: Years 2-4
Come on a walk through the story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with our Story Leader. We'll begin at The Story Museum and follow the lampposts towards the grounds of Oxford Castle - the perfect setting for a re-telling of the dramatic events at the White Witch's palace.
Wonder Walk: Year 4-adult
From the Narnia lamppost and Alice’s gate to the spires and rooftops of Oxford... the Wonder Walk route features stunning locations including the Radcliffe Camera and Christ Church, with a few dragons along the way! The walk features authors past and present who have been inspired by Oxford in some way: Kiran Millwood Hargrave (The Girl of Ink and Stars), C. S. Lewis (the Narnia series), J. R. R. Tolkien (The Hobbit), Lewis Carroll (Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland), Philip Pullman (Northern Lights trilogy), Katherine Rundell (Rooftoppers) and Patience Agbabi (The Infinite).
During the walk your students will learn key facts about the writers’ lives and how simply observing the world can lead to ideas for classic fiction. Your students will also play the stories through a variety of multi-sensory games and storytelling.
SCHOOL VISIT FAQS
How do I make a school booking?
Please contact the Learning Team by email to [email protected] or call us on 01865 790050. When booking, please specify:
- The name and post code of your school
- Your name, email address and telephone number
- The size of the group
- The age range and ability of the group
- Your preferred dates and times
- The name of the session you wish to book (see details above)
- If you would like an emphasis for your chosen session (each session has a specific focus) or have your session adapted to fit your scheme of work
- If you would like to book our lunch room
- If you would like to order goody bags and if so, how many and/or your intention to visit our shop (further information here)
- Any special requirements
When do school visits take place?
School visits take place Tuesday – Friday, subject to availability. There is a morning session (10:00-12:00) and an afternoon session (12:30-14:30).
Who leads the school sessions?
Each session is led by a member of our friendly and experienced Learning Team who are all qualified primary and secondary teachers. If you have any queries on the day, they will be happy to help. Please note we do not offer self-guided tours of the Galleries for schools - our visit options include a guided tour of the Galleries, led by our Story Leaders.
How many students can we bring?
Our school sessions are for groups of up to 32 students plus accompanying staff. Additional students will pay a supplementary charge (£6 per student per half day/£9 per student per full day) up to a maximum of three additional students. We cannot exceed 35 students per group; classes of 36 or more must be split into two groups. We can usually accommodate two groups per time slot.
How many adults do we need to bring?
The adult:student ratio for a school group will be:
- 1 adult for every 3 students for groups in Nursery
- 1 adult for every 5 students for groups in EYFS
- 1 adult for every 6 students for groups in Key Stage 1
- 1 adult for every 8 students for groups in Key Stage 2
- 1 adult for every 10 students for groups in Key Stage 3
What do I need to do before the visit?
When you have agreed a date with the Learning Team, you will be sent a booking form. Please return this booking form so that we can confirm your booking.
We recommend that you visit the Museum before your group visit so that you know where we are and to complete your school’s risk assessments. You’ll receive two free preview tickets for this purpose; preview visits must be booked in advance by emailing us at [email protected]
What safety measures are in place to keep staff and students safe?
To ensure that school groups have a safe and fun visit to The Story Museum, please read the Access page of the Museum’s websit
Do you provide schools with risk assessments?
We do not provide risk assessments for schools but we do provide a Hazard Identification Sheet at the point of booking. It is the school’s responsibility to carry out a risk assessment for its own students. We recommend that you make a preview visit so that you can produce your own risk assessment - we offer two free preview tickets for this purpose. Preview visits must be booked in advance by emailing us at [email protected]
What if we need to change/cancel our booking?
We appreciate that sometimes plans can change. If you need to change your booking, please contact the Learning Team as soon as possible. We can’t guarantee to accommodate all requests but we will work with you to facilitate any changes.
If you need to cancel your booking, we will endeavor to arrange another date for you. If you cancel within 14 days of your session and do not wish to change your date, you will not be entitled to a refund.
Can we eat lunch at the Museum?
Our lunch room can be reserved free of charge at the time of booking. Lunch slots are bookable for 30 minutes after a morning session or 30 minutes prior to an afternoon session. Groups without a pre-booked lunch space will be required to leave the museum at the end of their session. Please note that your lunch space may be shared with other visiting school groups.
Can we visit the Museum shop?
As visits to the shop can be time-consuming, we recommend instead that you pre-order goody bags. Find out more here.
Please let us know at the time of booking if your students would like to visit the shop. We ask that students do so at the end of their visit, in groups of no more than 6, and that they are supervised by an adult at all times. Please note that the shop does not accept cash payments.
How do we get to The Story Museum?
The Story Museum is located 42 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP.
If you are travelling by public transport, the nearest bus stops are on St Aldates but all the city centre stops are within a 10-minute walk of the Museum.
We are approximately a 15-minute walk from Oxford railway station.
The nearest public car parks are located at the Westgate Shopping Centre and the Oxpens car park on Oxpens Road. Both are a five-minute walk from The Story Museum. Please check here for current parking information on the Oxford City Council website here: http://www.oxford.gov.uk/carparks
Where should the coach/mini bus drop off/pick-up and park?
The nearest drop off point is a five-minute walk from The Story Museum at St Aldates South (northbound) – just south of the Combined Court OX1 1TL.
There is NO PARKING or vehicle access at The Story Museum. Your coach company must make their own arrangements to park.
Information about drop-off/pick-up points in Oxford city centre and coach parking can be found on the Oxford City Council website here: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20078/parking_in_oxford/490/parking_for_coaches_lorries_and_mini_buses
What time should we arrive and what happens if we’re running late?
Please plan to arrive at The Story Museum 15 minutes prior to your session. If you have pre-booked the lunch room, please do not arrive more than 10 minutes before your allocated slot.
Please make sure that you have our number (01865 790050) in your mobile so that you can contact the Learning Team if you are running late.
If you arrive late, we will not be able to deliver the full two-hour session due to other venue commitments and group bookings but the Learning Team will endeavour to adjust the session so that your students get the most out of the time available.
How accessible is the site?
All of our spaces, including our galleries, café and shop, are fully accessible for wheelchair users. There are three lifts offering access to all floors. Accessible toilets are situated on the ground floor and the first floor.
If you would like to discuss any particular needs or access issues, please speak to the Learning Team.
Where can I find learning resources?
Find learning resources on 1001 Stories here.
If you have any other questions, please contact the Learning Team who will be happy to help - [email protected]