The Princess of Wales arrived at the National Portrait Gallery on a minibus with pupils from All Souls Primary School in Westminster, to explore its historic collection with its Reception class.

 

To open all the photos in ‘Gallery View’ click the ‘X’ in the top left corner of any picture and then use the arrows to the right and left of the image to scroll through.

 

Headteacher Alix Ascough told the BBC that “it was an experience we probably won’t ever have again.” 

She added: “The Princess of Wales was wonderful, so relaxed with the children, really chatty. Children were so engaged with her, playing I-spy with her at one point and helping with jumpers.”

The picture gallery above shows Catherine leading pupils around the historic venue on 4th February, and talking to them while taking part in the new interactive storytelling trail.

The activities along the trail are designed to get the young learners to think about their emotions as they create their own self portrait. Catherine helped pupils with their artworks.

All Souls Primary School visit the National Portrait Gallery in London alongside the Princess of Wales

Source: Images courtesy of Kensington Palace and Andrew Parsons

The Princess of Wales enjoyed getting to know students and being part of their school trip to the National Portrait Gallery.

The visit was also linked to the Princess’s education project, Shaping Us, which emphasises the importance of the first five years of children’s lives. The latest stage of the project calls for a greater emphasis on teaching social skills and improving mental health.

School trips to the National Portrait Gallery

Advance booking is essential for all groups of ten or more people to visit the National Portrait Gallery, whether you are planning to visit the permanent collection and/or a temporary exhibition.

You can watch the video below to get a taster of what to expect:

Free self-led visits to the gallery can be booked online here.

Schools can book up to 60 students and ten group leader tickets per half hour timeslot depending on availability.

There are also a number of learning sessions available to both primary and secondary students which are linked to the historic collection of portraits. These can be adapted for pupils with SEND.

For more information about school visits to the National Portrait Gallery, go to www.npg.org.uk/visit/school-visits

Topics