Discover all you need to plan an inspiring day at Gainsborough’s House with your educational group. Choose from curriculum‑linked guided tours, practical art workshops, full‑day combined packages or bespoke programmes tailored to your subject and Key Stage. We invite schools, colleges and universities to interact with our exciting programmes and activities.
Bring learning to life with a visit to Gainsborough’s House—where history, art, and culture meet in the very place Thomas Gainsborough began his journey. Our schools and colleges programme offers an immersive experience designed to spark curiosity and deepen understanding through creative, cross-curricular exploration.
Step into Gainsborough’s world with an interactive, curriculum-linked learning experience for your students. Our expert-led sessions explore the artist’s life and work, the history of Sudbury, and eighteenth-century art—tailored to suit your Key Stage.
Engaged, interactive learning exploring:
Connect past and present through a dynamic full-day visit that combines interactive gallery learning with hands-on creative making. This option brings together the best of both worlds—immersing students in the life, work and context of Thomas Gainsborough, before encouraging them to respond through their own artwork. Delivered by our expert Learning team, the combined visit offers a seamless and engaging experience that’s easy to plan and tailored to suit your Key Stage.
Unlock creative expression and active learning through our dynamic, hands-on workshops. Your students will be in an ideal setting to unleash their imagination and build artistic confidence, inspired by the work of Thomas Gainsborough and our temporary exhibitions. These engaging sessions support art and design learning through practical exploration, tailored to your Key Stage.
Delivered in our bright and spacious Landscape Studio—with sweeping views of the countryside that influenced Gainsborough—they offer a unique and inspiring environment for creative learning.
Enrich your curriculum with a bespoke visit designed to meet the specific needs of your students. Whether you’re exploring local history, developing critical thinking through art, or preparing for exams, our tailored days offer in-depth learning linked to your chosen subject and Key Stage.
Options include:
Each visit combines thoughtful interpretation with practical activity to support classroom learning in a meaningful and memorable way.
We warmly welcome self-guided school visits—free of charge and for classes of up to 30—offering the freedom to explore our historic house and galleries at your own pace. This flexible option is ideal for educators who want to tailor the experience to their own learning objectives, giving students the chance to engage independently with our collection in a way that best suits their classroom topics or projects.
We are excited to welcome your school group to our site. Our facilities include:
To book a place for your school, fill in our school booking form.
A member of our Learning Team will be in touch to arrange your visit. We ask teachers to supply three desired dates to give maximum chance that we can accommodate you.
For all other enquiries, please contact our Learning Team directly at learning@gainsborough.org
We recommend booking at least 4 weeks ahead, but we’ll always try to accommodate where we can.
Once you submit the form, our Learning Team will check availability and get back to you via email. Your booking isn’t confirmed until you receive that email, so please wait to receive this confirmation before booking coach travel.
Absolutely, we are always delighted to hear from schools. We can work with you to identify the most appropriate visit for your group. Email learning@gainsborough.org or use the booking form to tell us what stage you’re at.
Facilitated House and Gallery visit: £100 for 12-30 students with additional students or groups of less than 12 charged at £4.50 per student
Creative workshop: £160 for 12-30 students with additional students or groups of less than 12 charged at £4.50 per student
Full day visit: £250 for 12-30 students with additional students or groups of less than 12 charged at £7.50 per student
All paid-for visits are charged with VAT, which schools are able to claim back.
Self-guided visits are free of charge.
Our Administration team will be in touch after the visit with an invoice and instructions for payment.
We can welcome up to 62 students per day. If you have more than that, get in touch — we can explore split groups or multiple days.
Yes — this is what we do best. We can tailor content to your themes or focus areas. Whether you’re exploring portraiture, identity, landscape, or local history, just tell us what you’re working on.
Nope. You can choose a half-day visit, a full-day, or just a morning or afternoon slot. We’re also happy to be flexible around transport or school timings where we can.
Yes, self-led visits are welcome but must still be booked in advance. This helps us manage numbers and make sure your group gets the attention and space it deserves.
We do not have designated parking, but there are several public car and coach parks in Sudbury within walking distance of Gainsborough’s House. Please find more information about parking here.
These are our recommended staff to student ratios:
Key Stage 1 – 1:4
Key Stage 2 – 1:5
Key Stage 3 – 1:5
Key Stage 4 – 1:7
Post-16 – 1:7
Yes, our Museum and Galleries are fully accessible. If you have any specific needs in your group that you would like us to be aware of, please include these in the ‘Any other useful information’ section of the booking form. More information on site accessibility and facilities can be found here.
Yes, we have designated spaces for school groups to leave their belongings during the visit. This said, we do ask that you refrain from bringing belongings unnecessary for the visit.
We’ve got two spaces on site available for you to use for lunch. Our Learning Team will designate a lunch space according to the nature of your visit and the needs of your group.
We have completed a series of risk assessments in line with current government advice and best practice. These will be shared with you during the booking process. All groups will be accompanied by a member of staff or a volunteer with an Advanced DBS check.
We stagger groups to ensure the safety and comfort of all visitors and have recommended staff to student ratios to ensure groups are well supported. In addition to our Learning Team, members of our valued Volunteer Team provide additional staffing.
Yes. Every exhibition season we run a teachers’ ‘Meet & Greet’. Our ‘Meet & Greets’ are after school and include a private view of our temporary exhibitions, networking with colleagues, a chance to talk to our Learning Team and feed into our schools’ programmes, and complementary drinks and snacks.
To find out more about opportunities for teachers, schools & students, sign up to our Learning Newsletter.
