Schools visits to the National Museum of Rural Life

Schools can book a general visit to the museum free of charge. 

Our programme of workshops, events and handling boxes will be re-launched in 2022.   

To book a visit, please complete the booking enquiry form. 

Your class can plan to spend a full day visiting the National Museum of Rural Life: 

• Visit our museum and discover how 300 years of farming and rural home life have shaped and altered Scotland’s countryside.
• Take an interactive, larger-than-life look at plants and flowers and pick up tips to help you find out what lurks at the bottom of your garden in our interactive gallery, Garden Detectives.
• Jump aboard the farm tractor trailer to go to our working farm and get up close to our animals.
• See our large purpose-built museum housing tractors, combine harvests, threshers, and many other inventions. Find out how machines have increasingly replaced people in farming.
• Teachers can sign up for our CLPL events or can arrange to undertake a pre-visit to help plan ahead. 

You'll find lots more information on the visit planning section of the museum pages, and you can also book a pre-visit to help you plan your day.

To ensure your visit runs smoothly, all school visits to the National Museum of Rural Life must be booked in advance.

To book please complete our booking enquiry form.

Pre-booked general school visits and downloadable resources are free of charge.

All other events, activities and workshops have a cost. Details of these will be confirmed once the programme of workshops is released in 2022.

Your school will be invoiced after your visit.

Please arrive at the time stated on your booking.

A range of safety measures have been put in place in line with Scottish Government guidelines. This includes face coverings, enhanced cleaning, sneeze screens and hand sanitising stations throughout the museum. Please read our guidance before visiting with your group.

We ask that you:

• Keep your distance from others.
• Use the hand sanitiser provided and wash your hands often.
• Wear face coverings in our indoor spaces (visitors aged 12 and over), unless exempt.

If a member of your group begins to display COVID-19 symptoms whilst in the museum, please alert the nearest member of staff immediately.

There is a coach park adjacent to the main carpark outside the museum. 

At present, our cloakroom is closed. You will therefore need to carry your jackets and bags around the museum with you. Please do not bring any items to the museum that you are unable to carry during your visit. 

At present, our lunchroom is closed. There is no indoor eating space. Please factor this into your visit plans. 

The museum galleries, including Garden Detectives, are fully accessible via lifts. 

We have accessible toilets on all levels, as well as at the farm. 

The tractor trailer has a wheelchair lift, making it accessible. 

There is an Adult Changing Places (U) toilet on the ground floor of the museum. 

You can also read our full accessibility information.

We are happy for you to take photographs, including flash photography, in the general museum and farm but not the farmhouse.

In addition, we may also wish to take photographs of you and your group. We will always discuss this with you in advance and will supply a photography permission form for you and your class to be completed prior to visiting.

There is a Museum Shop left of the Orientation Area (please ensure there is a ratio of 1 adult to 10 children when in shop). 

There is a café to the right of the Orientation Area. Take-away tea/coffee/liquids are not permitted in the museum. 

Ensure everyone attending, including adults, are aware of our guidelines, including wearing a face covering. 

Please be aware that all our bookings will comply with Scottish Government guidelines and NHS Scotland Test and Protect.

You can download our guidelines for teachers to help you write your own risk assessment. Teachers can make a free pre-visit to carry out their own risk assessment.  

We have developed an agreement which sets out what we aim to offer during your visit, and in return what we ask from you. 

We ask that pupils visiting in school groups are accompanied at all times during their visit at a ratio of: 

1 adult: 5 pupils (under the age of 5) 

1 adult: 10 pupils (primary school pupils) 

1 adult: 15 pupils (secondary school pupils) 

Where pupils require support on a 1:1 ratio, this adult should be included over and above these ratios. 

We ask that pupils visiting in school groups are accompanied at all times during their visit at a ratio of: 

1 adult: 5 pupils (under the age of 5) 

1 adult: 10 pupils (primary school pupils) 

1 adult: 15 pupils (secondary school pupils) 

Where pupils require support on a 1:1 ratio, this adult should be included over and above these ratios. 

We will send you full safety guidelines, a booking checklist and our agreement with you with your booking confirmation. Please check them before your visit. In addition, please read, sign and follow any safety notices and instructions from Visitor Experience staff.