Schools and colleges: health & safety information and risk identification

We are looking forward to welcoming your school group to the V&A family of museums.

This page is to help you complete a risk assessment for your visit. It should be used in conjunction with the visit guidelines. Please note that V&A South Kensington and Young V&A have different guidelines.

Risk assessments are available on request, to assist with creating your own risk assessment. Please contact the V&A, South Kensington team at schools@vam.ac.uk or Young V&A at yvaschools@vam.ac.uk

Teachers are advised to visit the museum in advance of their school or college visit in order to conduct their own risk assessment. Find out more about visiting V&A South Kensington here and Young V&A, Bethnal Green here.

Responsibility for visiting pupils or students remains with the teachers at all times. The following risks should be considered when producing a risk assessment:

Security

Security at the V&A is taken extremely seriously. We welcome millions of visitors each year and their safety and security are paramount. We also have a duty of care to protect our collections and buildings, so that they can be enjoyed by future generations.

All aspects of security are overseen by our Security Director and highly trained V&A Security, Safety and Fire teams. We operate in accordance with the Home Office Security Policy Framework and report our compliance each year to HM Government and the V&A's board of Trustees.

When you visit the V&A you will see some of our security services, but many more are operating behind the scenes. All of our Front of House staff are trained to deal with emergencies and will assist our visitors however possible. We test our procedures and response times on a regular basis to ensure that our staff are correctly equipped and ready to assist if a serious incident were to occur.

The inside and outside of the museum are covered by a comprehensive network of CCTV cameras. Images are monitored and recorded to help ensure the safety of visitors and the exhibits (all images are used in accordance with our Privacy Policy). Members of the Security team carry out bag searches at the entrances to the museum, which may include school groups.

Luggage with wheels, and bags larger than 56 × 45 × 21cm, are not allowed in the galleries. As part of our security procedures, we may ask to search your bag. Unattended bags should be reported to a member of staff – please do not touch them.

We have procedures in place should it be necessary to quickly restrict access to or exit the building (or part of it) through physical measures in response to a threat, either external or internal. In the event of an emergency warranting in-vacuation (moving people to somewhere safe inside the building), please follow staff to a place of relative safety inside the building.

We have a Visitor Experience team and Volunteers who work in every public space during opening hours to assist visitors and call for additional support if required.

Fire and evacuation

The museum has full evacuation procedures in case of emergency or fire. All fire exits are clearly marked, and all staff have received training in evacuation procedures. Our security, fire and safety procedures are tested on a regular basis and are updated as necessary. An alarm followed by an announcement is used to alert staff and visitors of an evacuation. In the event of a fire evacuation, lifts should not be used. Once outside, move away from entrances to enable the escape of others. Teachers should take the register and report any missing persons to a member of security staff (who will be in uniform) or to museum staff wearing hi-visibility jackets. Please ensure that your group understands the importance of following such procedures in the event of an evacuation.

First aid

The museum has members of staff trained to provide basic first aid treatment, although first aid provision is ultimately the responsibility of the teacher, or the group leader, who must carry first aid supplies at all times. Please report any accidents to uniformed staff, or anyone wearing a V&A staff pass, who will be able to call for the First Aider.

Museum staff

All museum employees are passed through the V&A's security vetting system. Museum staff carry ID cards with their photograph, so they can be recognised by visitors. All staff leading teaching sessions are experienced in working with children. Our policy for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults can be provided on request.

Supervision and behaviour

Teachers and adults should remain with their pupils at all times and ensure they are accompanied in the event of evacuation. Groups must have the correct adult to pupil ratio:

The museum reserves the right to refuse admission to groups who are not considered to have sufficient adult supervision.

If the behaviour of any groups or individuals affects the safety or enjoyment of other visitors, they will be asked to leave. Teachers should ensure that their pupils understand how they are expected to behave and have contingency measures in place in the event that anyone is asked to leave.

Pupils should be instructed to inform a Gallery Assistant (uniformed staff) should they become separated from the rest of the group. Please ensure all pupils and accompanying adults are made aware of this in advance of their visit.

If you have any queries about your visit to V&A South Kensington, please contact our Schools Coordinator at: schools@vam.ac.uk.

If you have any queries about your visit to Young V&A, Bethnal Green, please contact our Learning Coordinator at: yavschools@vam.ac.uk

We hope you have an enjoyable visit to the V&A.