Primary school visits to the Garden

A visit to the Botanic Garden is an ideal opportunity for children and students to engage with the natural environment. Our plants come from all around the world, so you can 'visit' several continents in one day during your time here! Our sessions are not classroom-based but include a variety of hands-on activities, such as arts and crafts, cross-curricular projects and group discussions.  We aim to promote a love of the natural environment, to support and encourage future generations of botanists and conservationists.

About school visits

The Garden offers a range of sessions to enhance the curriculum for Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1 and 2. Each session lasts between 1 hour 15 mins and 1 hour 45 mins and has a maximum capacity of 35 children. The sessions offered in our programme are specially designed for your pupils and link with National Curriculum topics. If you wish to have time after your session to stay for a picnic lunch or to explore the Garden or Glasshouses, please request this when you book. School sessions do not include a general tour of the Garden, so please make sure you book extra time with us if you wish to explore the Garden afterwards.

Please note that there is a charge for all education sessions. Our sessions fill up quickly, so book early to avoid disappointment.

It is also possible to arrange joint visits to the Botanic Garden with any of our partner sites, which include: Harcourt Arboretum, 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.

Cross-curricular sessions

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

Charges

How to book

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

Please note, we are fully booked for Mondays and Tuesdays in October and cannot accept any bookings during this time.

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 our Primary Education Officer at primaryeducation@obg.ox.ac.uk or call 01865 286 693.

You will receive booking confirmation with our standard terms and conditions. An invoice will follow.

Not a Primary School?

The Botanic Garden 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 primaryeducation@obg.ox.ac.uk