The Education Access Scheme is part of our pledge to support our local community by giving local schools and colleges increased access to our zoo and its learning opportunities. By working together, we hope to inspire and empower more children and young people to be advocates for nature.
Your benefits as a member of the Education Access Scheme
As a member of the scheme, you are entitled to unlimited educational trips to the zoo during term time.
There is no limit to how many term-time tickets your school or college can book across an academic year, but they are subject to availability as we operate at a limited daily capacity for education visits. All tickets must be booked at least two weeks in advance using the link below.
Please note additional fees may apply if you book additional activities such as workshops or adults exceeding the free supervisory ratio.
Education Access Scheme schools have access to a range of educational activities, such as workshops, tours, study days and career events. Please note these are subject to an additional fee.
To learn more and see a full list of the activities we offer, please download our Workshop Information Pack below.
eas workshop information pack - autumn 2024
We also hold events and offer other opportunities throughout the year, details of which we will share with the lead representatives of EAS schools. To sign up to hear about these events and opportunities directly please complete this form:
Our Learning team can provide help and support for teachers in your school or college to make the most of this scheme. This can include, but is not limited to:
- Planning and logistical support for zoo visits, including Initial Consultation Calls before you book, and free familiarisation visits and Pre-Visit Consultation Calls after you have made your booking.
- Recommendations of how to link a zoo trip to a specific learning objective or area of the national curriculum / exam syllabus. These can be discussed on an Initial Consultation Call alongside logistical queries.
- Support with integrating the zoo into your curriculum to help you take learning out of the classroom and into the Zoo!
- INSET day opportunities
- Use of our outdoor learning space and Community Garden – available exclusively to EAS schools. Please see the Community Engagement at London Zoo section below for more information.
Please see the 'How to contact us section' below for more information and to start exploring possibilities.
As part of our Education Access Scheme network, we will alert you when opportunities for local schools and students pop up. This could be trialling new activities we're developing, meeting ZSL scientists and conservationists who are looking for schools to engage with, youth participation opportunities for older students, or even donating leftover perfume for our lions to enjoy at Christmas!
We email all opportunities to the lead contact for the Education Access Scheme at your school. If you're a class teacher and you'd like to be notified directly when opportunities pop up, please sign up to our EAS mailing list:
Other useful information for EAS partner schools
Book a planning call
For support with planning a visit, including logistical support curriculum support, we offer Initial Consultation Calls with one of our team before you book. To schedule a call, please follow the link below:
book an initial consultation call - EAS teachers
Book a visit
You can book a trip by using the link below, selecting ‘I am a member of the Education Access Scheme’ from the dropdown menu.
Book your trip to London Zoo
See the 'Plan and book a zoo visit' section below for full details of how to make a booking, including booking an educational activity.
Sign up to our EAS mailing list
Sign up to hear about events and opportunities for EAS schools directly, please sign up to our EAS mailing list:
sign up to the london zoo eas mailing list
Get in touch about anything else
Please direct all other EAS enquiries to [email protected] in the first instance, and these will be directed to the appropriate person in the Community and Learning Team.
Booking a trip
You can book a trip by using the link below, selecting ‘I am a member of the Education Access Scheme’ from the dropdown menu.
You will need to have the following information ready:
• Date(s) you would like to visit
• Name of the lead teacher who will be attending on the day
• Approximate number of students and adults visiting
• Number of one-to-one support staff visiting
• Details of any SEND
• Which workshops (if any) you would like to book
• Your learning objectives for the visit
Workshops
The latest version of our workshop information pack can be found here:
https://www.londonzoo.org/education/education-access-scheme/resources
Your London Zoo representative will be able to advise on which workshop(s) would be most suitable for your group and get you booked in.
Please note that educational workshops are currently available Tuesday – Friday only.
Prepare for your trip (maps, risk assessments, etc.)
We have a dedicated page on our website where you can find support for school trips, including risk assessment information, maps and recommended routes, public talk times etc:
preparing for your school visit
Educational resources
See our range of self-guided resources for all Key Stages here:
Support for booking
If you have any logistical questions before booking, or to discuss how best to link your your zoo visit to your class teaching, please schedule an Initial Consultation Call with one of our team, using this link:
book an initial consultation call - EAS teachers
Once you have made your booking you will have the option to schedule a free familiarisation visit for planning purposes, as well as a to book a Pre-Visit Consultation Call where we will go through the finer details of your day with you.
What workshops do you offer?
Education Access Scheme (EAS) schools have access to a range of educational activities, such as workshops, tours, study days and career events. You can find a full list of bookable activities we offer below. We also hold events and offer other opportunities throughout the year, details of which we will share with the lead representatives of EAS schools. To sign up to hear about these events and opportunities directly, please sign up to our EAS mailing list here:
sign up to the london zoo eas mailing list
Which workshop is most suitable for my group?
If you’re unsure which workshop or course is best, you can book an initial consultation call with us here to discuss your needs:
book an initial consultation call - EAS teachers
Can I book a workshop from a different key stage?
Our workshops are National Curriculum-linked and tailored to meet the needs of each key stage. If you feel a different workshop would suit the ability level of your students, please get in touch with us at [email protected] to discuss your options
How much do workshops cost?
Unless otherwise stated, there is a fee of £36 per workshop booked. For post-16 study days and careers courses, please check details of individual activities.
How many students can be in a workshop?
Unless otherwise stated there is a maximum capacity of 35 students per workshop. For post-16 workshops/study days and careers courses, please check details of individual activities.
What days are workshops available?
Workshops are currently available Tuesday to Friday during term-time only, subject to availability, unless otherwise stated. For post-16 study days and careers courses, please check details of individual activities.
What times are workshops available?
Unless otherwise stated, workshops are available at 10:30, 11:30 and 12:30, subject to availability.
We occasionally offer later times for schools arriving in the afternoon, although we cannot guarantee this. To discuss options, please email [email protected].
How do I book a workshop?
When you’re ready to book please visit our online booking request form at the link below (make sure to select ‘I am a member of the Education Access Scheme’ from the drop-down menu at the top of the page)
You will need to have the following information ready:
- Date(s) you would like to visit
- Name of the lead teacher who will be attending on the day
- Approximate number of students and adults visiting
- Number of one-to-one support staff visiting
- Details of any SEND
- Which workshops (if any) you would like to book
- Your learning objectives for the visit
Do you offer any planning and/or logistical support?
Yes! We have a dedicated page on our website where you can find support for school trips:
preparing for your school visit
We also offer Initial Consultation Calls with one of our team before you book:
book an initial consultation call - EAS teachers
Once you have made your booking you will have the option to schedule a free familiarisation visit for planning purposes, as well as a to book a Pre-Visit Consultation Call where we will go through the finer details of your day with you.
I have an idea for a workshop you don’t currently offer.
We are open to working with EAS schools, to co-develop bespoke activities for your students, subject to staff capacity. Please email [email protected] in the first instance and we will get back to you to discuss this further. However, please note that this:
- Is not guaranteed
- May be subject to a fee
- May be offered only to certain schools who meet eligibility criteria when capacity is limited
Community Access Scheme
In addition to our Education Access Scheme we also have a Community Access Scheme (CAS), managed by a dedicated Community Engagement team.
The Community Access Scheme can be used by schools for non-class visits, outside of term time – for example to buy discounted tickets for families or for school holiday clubs. If your school is interested in joining the CAS then please contact [email protected].
Accessible Activities
Our Community Engagement team also runs accessible activities including:
• Relaxed Tours
• Audio described tours
• British Sign Language tours
Community Garden and Outdoor Classroom
Within our Community Garden area, we also have an outdoor classroom which can accommodate up to 20 students, exclusively for the use of our EAS schools.
If you are interested in using this space for your own activities, or exploring the possibilities for bespoke activities using this area, please contact us at [email protected].
Terms & Conditions of the Education Access Scheme
The Terms and Conditions for the Education Access Scheme can be found here.
Ready to book?
Book an Education Trip to London Zoo
Select "I am a member of the Education Access Scheme" on the booking form.