Primary school visits at the Arboretum

Harcourt Arboretum is just six miles south of Oxford City Centre. It has 130 acres of natural woodland, coppice and wildflower meadows. Learn about habitats, conservation, trees, climates and more in a fun and interactive way. 

About school visits

The Arboretum offers a range of sessions to enhance the curricula for Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1 and 2 that include additional creative and project-based pre- and post- visit activities. Sessions for nursery groups are also available. Each session runs for one and a half to two hours and have a maximum capacity of 35 children. If you would like to bring more children on one day, we can run one morning session 10am - 12pm and then a second session 12.30pm - 2.30pm, but you will be charged for two sessions. You are welcome to stay for lunch; however, we do not have any indoor space.

If you would like to stay at the Arboretum after your workshop for a self-guided visit, please let us know, as we can advise on activities and seasonal highlights.

Please note, it is possible to arrange joint visits to the Arboretum with any of our partner sites, which include: Oxford Botanic Garden, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Ashmolean Museum, History of Science Museum, Bodleian Library or Pitt Rivers Museum. If you would like to discuss a joint booking, please email primaryeducation@obg.ox.ac.uk

Our sessions fill up quickly, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Our seasonal programmes

Autumn term
Spring term

From January to March (terms 3 and 4), Harcourt Arboretum's Education Officers will come into your school and bring a range of materials from the botanical world for the children to investigate and experience. This programme is a great opportunity for children to learn the basics about trees and plants, and is the ideal introduction for a visit to the Arboretum in the future. We will provide all the equipment for the visit; all you need to provide are the children and the hall!

From April, we welcome schools to the Arboretum for our seasonal programme of education sessions.

Summer term

Cross-curricular sessions

Bespoke sessions and cross-curricular sessions are available at the Arboretum. Please contact primaryeducation@obg.ox.ac.uk to discuss your needs.

Charges

Session Max numbers Charge
Primary school workshops facilitated by Education Officer 35 £125.00
Add-on to facilitated visit: Self-guided sketching (45 minutes) 35 £20.00
Bespoke school programmes (full day, selection of workshops) Flexible Contact us
Outside lunch space at the Arboretum (45 minutes) 35 Free (but must book)

How to book

If you would like to make a booking for any of our sessions, please fill out our booking enquiry form.

To discuss any bespoke programmes, joint visits to any of our partner sites, or if you have any questions about our sessions you can email us our Primary Education Officer at primaryeducation@obg.ox.ac.uk or call 01865 286 693. You will receive a booking confirmation with our standard terms and conditions. An invoice will follow.

Not a Primary School?

The Arboretum also supports pre-schools. We recommend contacting our primary education officer via primaryeducation@obg.ox.ac.uk. Please refer to our termly primary school sessions to understand what we can offer. We can also adapt or create a tailored school session that suits your children's needs specifically.

Information for your visit 

Find out more about how to prepare for your visit, what to expect during it and follow-up activities for afterwards.

Not a UK school?

Our school visits are also suitable for international curricula such as the International Baccalaureate. If you would like to book your visit and/or you are from outside the UK, please contact via primaryeducation@obg.ox.ac.uk