Planning, prices and pre-visit information

There are three options for school visits to the Garden:

Taught workshops with our Schools Learning Officers (charge applies)

Taught workshops last 1 hour for EYFS and 2 hours for KS1-KS5.

• Your class will be taught by our expert staff and volunteers in curriculum linked workshops.
• Once your workshop is finished you have the use of the Garden Room as a base for the rest of your day, and are welcome to borrow our resources for further self-led learning.

Workshops are for a maximum of 36 pupils and take place within the core hours of 10am-2pm. We have some dates on which we can accommodate two classes from the same school. If you wish to bring two or more classes please contact us to discuss your needs.

Self-led with the use of the Garden Room (charge applies)

Self-led classes may book our indoor space, the Garden Room, as a base for their exploration in the Botanic Garden. This holds up to 72 pupils and is available between 10am and 3pm.  Free downloadable resources to help you on your visit are available.

• You will have a key to secure the room while you are out and about.
• The room has toilets, extra handwashing sinks, tables, chairs and access to a variety of useful resources for your visit, including lesson packs for our self-led lesson plans.
• There is a small kitchen teachers may use to make teas and coffees, though you will need to bring your own milk!
• The room is set within our Schools’ Garden, filled with interesting flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Self-led without use of the Garden Room (free)

• This option allows a totally free visit for schools. You are able to reserve storage lockers to deposit your group’s bags. Toilets are available on site but we do not have under cover lunch space. Free downloadable resources to help you on your visit are available.

Please note language schools and education providers not following the UK curriculum will need to book a Holiday School Visit rather than an educational visit.

• EYFS: one hour workshop: £100
• KS1-5: two hour workshop: £150
• Use of the Garden Room for self-led visits: £75
• Self-led without the Garden Room: Free

Please note price is per taught workshop (maximum 36 pupils), so if you bring two classes and have two workshops the charge would be £300.

• EYFS and KS1 – 1:5
• KS2 to KS4 – 1:10
• For taught workshops we require at least 4 adults per class

All pupils under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Thanks to a generous grant to the Botanic Garden from The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, we are offering a new travel grant scheme for state schools to support visiting the Botanic Garden, whereby we are able to reimburse travel costs for all state schools on taught visits.  We also waive our usual fee for taught workshops for those schools with an at or higher-than-average pupil premium percentage. The grant will operate in the 2023/2024, 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 school years.

The Gatsby School Visit Grant has been fully allocated for the 2024/2025 school year. Visit the grant page for further details.

There is no parking for coaches at the Botanic Garden. Coaches may drop off school groups next to the Garden on Trumpington Road. It is a very short walk to the Botanic Garden main entrance from there and safe crossings are available.

There are bus stops for local bus services nearby and Cambridge’s main train station is only a short walk from our Station Road gate.

We offer a free planning visit for teachers. You can either arrange a mutually convenient time to meet our Schools Learning Officer, or arrange a free entry into the Garden. Please contact us to arrange this.

Risk assessments and guidance notes for visiting the Garden can be downloaded below. Please ensure all adults accompanying your group have read the guidance notes and that relevant points are shared with your pupils.

The University of Cambridge children and adults at risk safeguarding policy can be found here.