School parties

Can my school join?

• Eligibility
• Summer schools
• Special needs schools
• Nursery schools

Eligibility

You can join the scheme if your school is:

• In the Greater London Authority area
• Teaching the National Curriculum or Further Education subjects (for example A Levels)

The scheme is open to all types of school (state, independent, grant-maintained).

Summer schools

We accept summer schools run in association with London local education authorities. You may need to provide further evidence in your application so that we can check you're eligible.

Special needs

We have special arrangements for special needs schools.

Tel: 0845 330 9876 to register with us a special needs school.

Once you have registered you can apply online for tickets.

If you need to use a paper application form, you must indicate that you have 'special requirements' and we will contact you to discuss your needs.

Nursery schools

A reduced scheme is available to nursery schools located in the Greater London area.

For more information:
Tel: 0845 330 9876
Email: school.party@tube.tfl.gov.uk.

How does it work?

Number of trips per school
Group size
Age limits
Places to visit
Types of transport
Travelling by National Rail
Journey times
Scheme rules

Number of trips per school

A maximum of two trips per child per term.

Group size

A maximum of two adults for every 10 children. If you wish to take more than this, you must pay fares at the standard rate.

The group sizes provide flexibility so that large parties can travel in smaller groups if there isn't a service that can take your entire party.

When you apply you will need to tell us the number of children and adults making the trip. We will look at what services are available for when you want to travel. Depending on the size of your party and the transport services being used, we may have to stagger the travel time on the tickets. This is to make sure the services have enough space for your party and customers in general.

You may find it that it's better for you to travel in smaller groups. If you do, tick the 'special requirements' box on the application form. When we get your application, we will contact your school administrator to discuss your requirements.

There is a limit to how many people are on each ticket, not to how many are in the group.

Tube, DLR, London Overground and National Rail

• Maximum group size per ticket: 20 children and two to four adults
• You only need one adult if you're travelling with less than 10 children
• You can't order tickets for more than one adult for every five children of the total school party group, unless you have special requirements

Bus and tram journeys

• Maximum group size per ticket: 10 children and up to two adults
• If you wish to take more than this, you must pay fares at the standard rate unless you have special requirements

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Age limits

Children: under 18
Teachers/parents: age 18+

Places to visit

You can apply for free travel for visits to educational or cultural venues that support an area of the National Curriculum. These include:

• Animal parks/zoos
• Areas of cultural interest (for example China Town)
• Artists' studios/arts centres/design studios
• Buildings of architectural/environmental interest
• Cinemas/concert halls/theatres
• City Farms/commons/heaths/parks
• Film studios/galleries/museums/print works
• Sites of archaeological/environmental/religious interest
• Occasional venues, which are events that support a particular area of study, but only take place for a limited time

Visits to recreational or sporting facilities and also sightseeing trips are not eligible for free travel under the scheme.

If the place you want to visit falls into more than one category, choose the one it fits with best.

When applying, tell us which area(s) of the National Curriculum the trip will support, and give brief details of the relevance of the visit:

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Types of transport

The scheme offers free travel on scheduled services on:

• Buses
• London Underground (Tube)
• Trams
• Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
• London Overground
• National Rail within Greater London
• National Rail outside Greater London between Amersham and Moor Park only

We do not offer free tickets on London River Services.

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Travelling by National Rail

If your trip includes National Rail services you can book your tickets through us, but you must tell us on your application:

• The name of the train operator (which can be found on their timetable) 
• The time of the train(s) you wish to use

We will check whether the train operating company can take your school party. They may ask you to change your journey date or time if their stations or trains are likely to be very busy. If you are a large party, we may issue tickets with staggered start/return times, to prevent overcrowding.

National Rail services can still be very busy just after peak time. To avoid disappointment try to arrange your journey to depart after 10:00 where possible.

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Journey times

The scheme operates on Mondays to Fridays as follows:

If you have to make either your outward or homeward journey outside the times available, you will need to buy additional tickets at the standard rates to cover that part of your journey.

Scheme rules

• All members of the school party must be booked on a ticket(s) and travel according to the journey details on the ticket(s)
• Where valid tickets have not been obtained, standard fares must be paid for all members of the party except those children who are eligible for free travel
• You cannot use a confirmation email or copy of a fax as an authority to travel - you can only travel for free using the tickets you have been issued with. If you don't have the correct tickets you may be refused entry into the station or asked to buy tickets for your journey
• TfL and train operating companies reserve the right to reject applications
• We consider all requests for tickets. However, we cannot guarantee services will operate to schedule and that sufficient capacity will be available
• You must apply online at least 14 days in advance of your planned trip, 21 days in advance if you are applying by fax or post
• Where applications are submitted less than 14 days in advance for online applications, or less than 21 days in advance for fax or postal applications, we cannot guarantee that schools will be contacted. We have the right to reject any such applications
• It is the responsibility of the school to make sure that all address and contact details provided to TfL are correct.  We are not responsible for the loss of any tickets where incorrect details have been provided.
• TfL reserves the right to check applications to participate in the scheme.
• If a school is found to be travelling in breach of these scheme rules, TfL may remove that school from the School Party Travel scheme.

How do I get tickets?

• Register/contact us
• Applying for tickets in advance
• Applying online
• Applying by fax/email/post
• When will I get my tickets?
• Late applications
• What if my tickets don't arrive?

Register / contact us

To get tickets, your school must be eligible and be registered with us on the scheme. To register your school, and to get information about the scheme or follow up an application, you can contact us by:

Post: School Party Travel team
Transport for London
14 Pier Walk
Blue zone, 4th floor
London SE10 0ES

Email: school.party@tube.tfl.gov.uk

Phone: 0845 330 9876

Fax: 020 3054 5276

Applying for tickets in advance

You can apply for School Party Travel tickets up to three months before your date of travel. We hold applications until a month before you travel so that we can check for any planned changes or disruptions to transport services.

Applying online

Apply online via your school's account. It's quicker and there's less chance of error.

If you don't have an online account, contact the School Party team.

Please allow 14 days for us to process online applications. If you haven't received your tickets four working days before your trip, you must contact us

Applying by fax or post

Download an application form (PDF 83KB) or ask us to send you one by calling 0845 330 9876

Send your form by:
Fax: 020 3054 5276, or
Post: School Party Travel team,
Transport for London
14 Pier Walk
Blue zone, 4th floor
London SE10 0ES

Please allow 21 days for postal or fax applications. We may need to contact you to discuss the possibility of changing your travel arrangements.

When will I get my tickets?

We aim to send tickets out at least seven days before your date of travel, to allow time for delivery by Royal Mail.

If you have not received your tickets four working days before your trip, you must contact us.

Late applications

The School Party Travel scheme aims to provide tickets to all schools who have applied giving the specified notice. We have the right to reject any late applications.

What if my tickets don't arrive?

If your tickets don't reach you, we will try to re-send them to you if there is time.

You will need to provide proof of purchase, and to return the School Party Travel ticket(s) when you receive them for cancellation.