UK Parliament Education Centre

Visiting the UK Parliament Education Centre, your students will enjoy a unique learning experience where they will have a guided tour of the Palace of Westminster, home of the UK Parliament.  They will then have an engaging curricula-informed workshop in our award-winning Education Centre – a great space for group work and learning.  Your students will learn what happens at UK Parliament today and how they can get actively involved. It is completely FREE to visit, and eligible schools can even claim their travel costs back.

A visit to UK Parliament includes:

• A curricula-informed workshop in our award-winning Education Centre
• A Q&A session with your local MP or member of the House of Lords (subject to their availability)
• Help with travel costs (eligibility criteria applies)

All schools must be registered on our booking portal to be able to book a school visit. Register an account here.

Sign up to the UK Parliament Education Newsletter to receive notification of when bookings open for each term.

Visit our Tours and Workshop page for more information on workshops.

Check your school’s eligibility for a travel subsidy on our travel subsidy page.

Visit our Tours and Workshop page for more information on workshops.

Check your school’s eligibility for a travel subsidy on our travel subsidy page.

UK Parliament Education Centre / Historical buildings London / Historical heritage London / Crime and punishment / Special educational needs London / law Londonondon

Your students will have an unforgettable experience at UK Parliament. They will stand inside famous spaces within the Palace of Westminster including the House of Commons Chamber, the House of Lords Chamber and Central Lobby.

Our curriculum-informed workshops are fun and engaging to encourage active participation, helping to cement what students learn on their tour. These workshops are tailored to the age and attainment of your group and led by UK Parliament’s experienced Education and Engagement team.  There are a range of themes including petitions, laws, elections, and how UK Parliament works.

If your schools is eligible, you could claim up to 85% of your travel costs back (up to £2,400) so schools from further afield can visit UK Parliament without the worry of travel costs.

Throughout the year, specialist days are run for SEND schools, home educator groups, post-16 learners, youth groups, and many more. You can find details of these on the website.

Yes, we have an LoTc badge.

Our tour and workshop programme is suitable for students aged 7 to 18. Our programme links to the National Curriculum for England, National Curriculum for Wales, Curriculum for Excellence Scotland, and the Northern Ireland Curriculum. We help teachers create great learning experiences to teach Citizenship Education, and Political Literacy. Topics include elections, debating, British Values and the work and role of UK Parliament in our democracy.

Tours and workshops have a maximum capacity of 36. The ratio of adults to pupils depends on students’ age:

Age 5-7: 1 adult to 7 pupils

Age 7-18: 1 adult to 15 pupils

You can book up to 108 visitors in each academic term. If you’re bringing more than 36 people, we’ll split your group across multiple timeslots. The minimum group size is 12 people, including adults.

There are lots of FREE resources available to order or download from the UK Parliament website. These are suitable for pupils aged 5 to post-16 and cover topics across the UK curricula, including elections, debating, British Values and the work and role of UK Parliament in our democracy.

These resources come in various formats including worksheets, presentations, video lessons, podcasts and more.

You can also purchase an official Palace of Westminster Kid’s Handbook from our online shop.

There are two places on the tour route where you can take photos. Your guide will point these out during your tour. Photography is not permitted on all other parts of the tour route.

Photos are also allowed in your workshop group inside the Education Centre, but please talk to your workshop leader beforehand.

Your safety when visiting Parliament is very important to us. Please read our information on planning a safe visit. If you would like to speak to us about planning your visit, please call us on 020 7219 4496 or email engage@parliament.uk.

You can contact us on 020 7219 4496 or via email engage@parliament.uk.

It is FREE to visit UK Parliament with your school and depending on your eligibility, we can offer a travel subsidy that helps schools from outside of London and the South East of England with their travel costs.  The scheme allows eligible schools travelling from further afield to visit UK Parliament and claim up to 85% (up to £2,400) of their travel costs back.

No special clothing is needed but please note that clothing with political or offensive slogans will not be allowed. We recommend comfortable walking shoes for the tour.

We have a first aid station on site and there are members of the team who are first aid trained. Our security officers are first aid trained too.

Parking: There are drop off points alongside UK Parliament, near Victoria Tower Gardens. We’re unable to provide parking spaces for security reasons. Details of available coach parking in central London can be found on the Transport for London website.

Lunch space: There will be shared lunch space available for 30 minutes after the end of your workshop. This only applies if you are doing a tour and workshop programme. The Education Centre is also next to Victoria Tower Gardens, which is ideal for a picnic.

Toilets: Toilets are available in the Education Centre and Westminster Hall. There are toilet facilities for wheelchair users in all buildings and along the visitor route.

UK Parliament is accessible to wheelchair users but they take an alternative tour route at some points. Please let us know if there are wheelchair users or people with mobility needs in your group before your visit.

There are toilet facilities for wheelchair users in all buildings and along the visitor route.

We welcome pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

To discuss any adjustments your group needs, please call the UK Parliament Education Service on 020 7219 4496.

Please visit our Tours and Workshop page for more information on availability and how to book. With over 33,000 schools in the UK, these visits are highly popular and tend to book up very quickly. Sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter to hear when the application period opens, so you don’t miss out!

Teachers can subscribe to a monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date about school trips to UK Parliament, free teaching resources, CPD, outreach visits and special events.

Yes – we will be providing these in September (possibly sooner) UK Parliament Loan Box – Parliament UK Education