Early years visits to Tate Britain and Tate Modern

An early years group walk through the Heather Philipson commission wearing crowns

What are early years visits?

Early Years' Visits are for Early Years Practitioners working in children's centres, nurseries and pre-schools who want to lead a self-guided visit to Tate Modern or Tate Britain with groups of under 5s in their care.

Early Years Visits to Tate Modern and Tate Britain are free. All groups must book in advance of visiting.

When you book a visit, please advise us of any specific access requirements that members of your group may have.

When can I visit?

Early years visits are available Monday to Friday from 10.00 - 12.00 during school term-time. Please book 2 weeks in advance to allow us plan for your visit.

We follow Southwark school-term dates, which are as follows:

Academic year 2022/23

Autumn term

Thursday 1 September 2022 to Friday 21 October 2022

Monday 31 October 2022 to Friday 16 December 2022

Spring term

Tuesday 3 January 2023 to Friday 10 February 2023

Monday 20 February 2023 to Friday 31 March 2023

Summer term

Monday 17 April 2023 to Friday 26 May 2023

Monday 5 June 2023 to Friday 21 July 2023

How to make a booking

All groups must book in advance of visiting. The maximum number of visitors per visit is 30 and our recommended ratio for 1-5 year-olds is 1:5.

To enquire, please call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (option 3). Our schools phone line is open Monday - Friday 10.00 - 16.00.

Have the following ready when you call:

Range of dates for your visit
School address, telephone number and email address
Group size and age of pupils

Alternatively you can email us at schoolsandteachers@tate.org.uk

Bookings must be made at least two weeks in advance to allow us to prepare for your visit.

You will receive your booking confirmation by email, which you can show on a mobile phone at the entrance. Alternatively, you can print the tickets out.

Plan your visit

Early Years visits to Tate Modern and Tate Britain take approximately 1.5 - 2 hours. We advise choosing a few gallery rooms to explore together and not trying to do too much on one visit. Once inside the gallery we ask that you split up into smaller groups when moving around.

A full route map, as well as a list of highlights across the route, can be found here:

Download the Tate Britain Route Map [PDF, 335 Kb]

Download the Tate Modern Route Map PDF [80.1k kb]

The route has step-free access and access to toilets and the changing places, access to a shop and the opportunity to buy food and drink. Please note Tate is operating a cashless system at present, so only card purchases are possible.

Snacks and lunches can be eaten in the schools’ lunchroom at Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Please let us know if you would like to use either of them. At Tate Modern you are welcome to eat in any non-gallery space such as the level 4 concourse, level 1 bridge or Turbine Hall.

We advise doing a pre-visit without your under 5s if possible to plan which galleries you’d most like to visit, or using the following digital resources to help plan your visit:

Visual stories:

Gallery guidelines

Visitor numbers are being carefully managed to ensure that your visit is as safe and comfortable as possible. There are increased cleaning regimes in high use areas and protective screens on desks and counters. We are only accepting card or contactless payments and have installed hand sanitiser dispensers throughout the gallery.

When you visit:

Act on any guidance our team may give you
Large parties should split into smaller groups while moving through the gallery

Although face coverings are no longer mandatory, we are asking that face coverings be worn by everyone over the age of 12, apart from those who are exempt. Not all exemptions are visible so please be understanding of others.

Most importantly if you are feeling unwell, help keep everyone safe by staying at home.

For more information take a look through our frequently asked questions.