Terms and Conditions for Educational Visits

Information about us and how to contact us

• London Zoo is part of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a registered charity in England and Wales and a Royal Charter body. Our charity number is 208728 and our company registration number is RC000749. Our registered address is the Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4RY.
• You can contact us by telephoning our Supporter Contact Team on 0344 225 1826 or by writing to us at [email protected].

Eligibility for education rate tickets to London Zoo

• As part of our commitment to conservation education, ZSL offers subsidised tickets, known as education rate tickets for students in full time education in educational establishments that are registered with the Department for Education, such as schools, colleges and universities, and for home educators.  Organisations may be required to provide their DfE Number to verify eligibility for these subsidised tickets. Education rate prices for eligible organisations can be found here.
• To qualify for education rate tickets, the students within the group must:
  • Be visiting on a weekday within the UK term-time dates defined by ZSL. A full list of eligible dates and prices can be found here.
  • Be part of a school/college/university with a registered DfE Number or be educated at home full-time
  • Be in full-time education
  • Be visiting the zoo for an educational trip to enhance learning
• Nurseries, uniformed groups (e.g. Brownies or Scouts), youth groups, child minders and educational providers offering part-time or evening learning courses are not eligible for education rate tickets. You may be entitled to a group discount. Please email [email protected] for more information.
• If your school has a nursery associated with it, please contact us to discuss eligibility for nursery visits.
• Education tickets are only available on weekdays during UK term-time. They are not available at weekends, bank holidays or school holidays. A full list of eligible dates and prices can be found here.
• Schools organising a trip outside of school hours, such as Summer Clubs, do not qualify for education rate tickets but may be eligible for a group discount. Please email [email protected] for more information.
• The following may be required upon arrival at the Zoo in order to validate any education rate tickets purchased. ZSL reserves the right to charge the full-price entry rates to any person not able to provide these details: 
  • Appropriate proof of entitlement to any discounted ticket rate claimed for each person to be admitted under the ticket (for example staff ID of the lead teachers or proof of home education status)
  • A copy of your tickets/confirmation of booking
• If you are a third-party provider, purchasing tickets on behalf of an educational organisation such as a school, you will be required to provide the details of the organisation you are purchasing tickets on behalf of in order for us to ensure they are eligible for these tickets. It is your responsibility to ensure that all information is passed on to the educational organisation, including these terms and conditions.
• If you are an international school from outside the UK, we may need to speak with you ahead of a booking to ensure eligibility for the educational tickets in lieu of a DfE number. Only full-time education providers are eligible for education-rate tickets. Please note that tickets are only available during the term times stated here, even if your school operates during different term dates.

Additional conditions of education rate tickets

• Education rate tickets and other activities are subject to availability and must be booked and paid for at least two weeks in advance. 
• Tickets are valid only for the date stated upon them.
• Tickets do not include, nor guarantee, car park entry and parking charges are not included within the price. London Zoo does not have coach parking facilities, but coaches can drop off in the car park if space permits. Parking for cars and small minibuses (16-seater or less) is subject to availability and to a daily fee, paid on arrival. This cannot be booked in advance. Details of charges can be found on our website.
• Tickets are non-transferable to other persons or Attractions, including Whipsnade Zoo, and may not be resold without the prior written consent of ZSL. If any person attempts to enter an Attraction with a ticket that has been resold without ZSL’s written consent, ZSL may refuse entry and no compensation is payable to that person by ZSL.
• If any of the group have valid ZSL membership, they can use this to access the zoo as part of an educational visit. Memberships must be declared at the time of booking, and membership cards must be brought with the person in question and presented upon arrival to gain admission. Refunds shall not be provided once a visit is paid for if membership is not declared at the time of booking. Any persons who arrive without a valid membership or education rate ticket purchased in advance must purchase a standard admission ticket. 
• Education rate tickets cannot be purchased on arrival.
• Education rate tickets cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, promotion, discounts or third-party payment methods.
• It is your responsibility to check prior to purchase that the information in respect of your requirements is accurate. 

Cost of education rate tickets

• The price for education rate tickets vary depending on the time of year you wish to visit, the level of education the students are working at, and the activity you wish to book. For up-to-date entry costs, please visit the website here.

Paying for education rate tickets and other services

• All education rate tickets, and other paid-for services such as workshops, must be booked and paid for at least two weeks before the date of the trip/activity via one of the following ways:
  • BACS payment. You must include your Order Number as reference with the payment in order for us to match the payment to your trip. Failure to do so may result in us being unable to identify your trip as paid-for and may result in delays to your visit.
  • Debit or credit card. Please call 0344 225 1826 to make payment in this way, and quote your booking Order Number.
• We do not accept cash or cheque payments, nor can payment be made on the day.
• If a school have not paid for their trip by the date of their visit, the money owed will be moved over to our finance department’s debt ledger and a new invoice will be raised, which will include a £25 administration fee for the process.
• ZSL reserves the right to cancel or refuse entry to any group who have not paid in advance of their trip nor made prior arrangement with ZSL to pay after the visit/activity.
• ZSL reserve the right to refuse future bookings from an organisation who owe money from a previous trip or trips.

If you need to alter or cancel your booking

• Education tickets are non-refundable.
• We do not offer refunds for any students or paying adults who are unable to attend on the day of a trip.
• We do not offer refunds for any visitors with membership which was not declared at the time of booking.
• Changes to a booking can be made, subject to availability, up to two weeks in advance of your trip or up until the point of payment if you pay more than two weeks in advance.
• We are unable to make any alterations to any bookings within two weeks of the trip/activity.
• Once a booking has been paid for, we are unable to make any alterations to the booking, even if you pay more than two weeks in advance. This includes changes to the visit date, activities, or visitor numbers. 
• If a group do not show for their visit, have not paid for their trip and/or have not notified us in writing that they wish to cancel their visit, ZSL reserves the right to charge a £25 administration fee per trip and per additional paid-for activity.

Cancellations or alterations due to adverse circumstances 

• Adverse weather: If Adverse Weather is predicted, you are able to alter the date of your planned visit to another date within the same or following academic term, up to one day before, free of charge, subject to availability. You must provide an alternative date for the trip no later than 28 days after the date you contact us to reschedule. In this instance, “adverse weather” is defined as predicted weather that results in a Yellow Weather Warning or above by the MET Office: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/. If you reschedule to a later point when ticket prices are higher, you will be expected to pay the difference in cost. No refund shall be provided if fewer students are attending on the rescheduled trip than previously booked.
• Strike announcements: If industrial action is announced that will affect your ability to visit the zoo on the day you have booked (for example teacher or transport strikes), ZSL will work with you to find alternative visit dates in the same academic term or following academic term. You must provide an alternative date for the trip no later than 28 days after the date you contact us to reschedule. If you reschedule to a later point when ticket prices are higher, you will be expected to pay the difference in cost. No refund shall be provided if fewer students are attending on the rescheduled trip than previously booked.
• COVID-19: If local or national guidance in relation to COVID-19 changes which will affect your visit, ZSL will work with you to find alternative visit dates in the first instance or will offer a full refund if rebooking is not possible. If you are unable to make a trip due to cases of COVID in your school, we will work with you to re-book the trip on an alternative date within the same or following academic term, subject to availability. You must provide an alternative date for the trip no later than 28 days after the date you contact us to reschedule. If you reschedule to a later point when ticket prices are higher, you will be expected to pay the difference in cost. No refund shall be provided if fewer students are attending on the rescheduled trip than previously booked.
• Zoo closures: If the zoo is required to close for any reason, you will be notified as soon as possible by ZSL. ZSL will work with you to find alternative visit dates within the same or following academic term. ZSL will offer a full refund if rebooking is not possible.
• ZSL staff availability: If ZSL staff are unavailable to deliver pre-booked activities, for example due to sickness, you will be notified as soon as possible by ZSL. ZSL will work with you to find alternative activities or visit dates in the same or following academic term. ZSL will offer a full refund of any impacted activities if re-booking is not possible.
• In the unlikely event that ZSL are required to alter or cancel a booked educational trip or activity for any other reason than those stated above, you will be notified as soon as possible and ZSL will work with you to find alternative visit dates/activities for the same or following academic term. ZSL will offer a full refund of any affected services or activities if rebooking is not possible. ZSL is not responsible for any third-party costs incurred as a result of any cancellation and is unable to provide a refund for any pre-paid goods, such as pre-purchased souvenirs or food. Refunds or opportunities to reschedule shall not be provided if you have not provided an alternative date for the trip within 28 days of the date of the correspondence regarding rescheduling the visit.

Supervision of students during educational visits to London Zoo

• All students aged 16 or under must be with a supervising adult at all times whilst in the zoo. Students aged 17-18 do not need to be with an adult at all times, but school staff must be in the zoo and contactable whilst the students are in the zoo.
• It is the responsibility of the school/education provider to ensure that you can bring enough appropriate adults with you to adequately supervise the students on the trip. This is to ensure both the safety of the students and to maximise the educational opportunities on the trip.
• To support this, ZSL offers free tickets for supervising adults and 1:1 carers/support workers. Our supervision ratios vary depending on the educational level your students are working at. For up-to-date information on free adult ratios, please visit our website.
• To support students with additional needs, educational groups are able to bring 1-to-1 staff who are supporting students with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities, or as part of a Pupil Referral Unit/Alternative Provision free of charge. Any additional adult tickets required must be paid for and stated at the time of booking.
• To ensure the correct supervisory ratios are applied ZSL may ask schools for further details on the needs of students which shall be recorded as part of the booking. No information identifying students will be recorded.
• Any additional adults beyond our designated supervisory ratios must be paid for.
• All adults must have a valid ticket to be granted access to the zoo as part of the educational booking, whether free or paid-for. 
• Membership cards or complementary tickets can be used to gain free entry to the zoo for both children and adults. However, these do not count towards the free adult ratio described above, and must be stated at the time of booking.
• As a minimum, all education trips must include no less than one supervising adult for every 12 students aged 16 or under, and at least one supervising staff member for educational groups where all students are aged 17 or over. We will not accept bookings for groups who intend to bring fewer adults than this.
• Education groups must arrive and enter the zoo together with the designated lead teacher. Every educational trip must include a lead teacher from the education provider, regardless of the age of the students, and that person must remain at the zoo for the duration of the time that the students are at the zoo.
• Students will not be permitted entry without a supervising adult, even if the students are aged over 16.
• Upon arrival the lead teacher will be asked to provide a contact telephone number for the visit, should we need to contact them for any reason in relation to that trip that day. These details will be destroyed at the end of the day.
• The lead teacher is responsible for ensuring that all students know who will be supervising them on the trip, the standard of behaviour expected of them and what to do in the event of an emergency. They are also responsible for ensuring that all other supervising adults on the trip are aware of who they are supervising, the standard of behaviour expected of them and the students and what to do in the event of an emergency. Details of our supervision policy can be found on our website.
• If anyone in the group is found to be behaving in a way that is disruptive, aggressive or compromises the health or well-being of our animals, staff, volunteers or other visitors, the lead teacher will be called on the telephone number provided and asked to meet the group in question. The school management will be contacted and your whole group may be asked to leave the zoo. In these instances, if we feel that the lead teacher has not put in place adequate supervision requirements, any free/reduced rates for supervising adults may be retracted and your school will be invoiced for any adults at full admission prices, including an additional £25 administration fee.
• There may be circumstances where the London Zoo Learning Team feel it is necessary to have a pre-visit consultation with the lead teacher ahead of a trip, for example if you are bringing a large group of students on one day. If this is the case the London Zoo Learning team will contact you to discuss your booking in more detail, and arrange a pre-visit consultation with you where needed. ZSL reserves the right to refuse or cancel any booking if they do not feel that adequate support is in place from the school/other educational organisation for the trip.

Booked activities as part of a zoo trip

• Across the academic year, ZSL may offer bookable activities, such as workshops, to complement a zoo trip. These are not guaranteed as part of educational rate tickets and are subject to availability. Upon booking you will be provided with details of the start time, duration, and location of any booked activity, as well as any additional cost, if required. Any additional costs will be clearly stated.
• Any additional payments that may be required must be paid for in advance as described above.
• Please arrive at the zoo at least 30 minutes before the start of any booked activity, to enable enough time for you to get into the zoo and walk to the location of the activity.
• If a group do not arrive at the designated meeting point at the agreed time, the ZSL staff member leading the activity reserves the right to cancel the activity. No refund will be offered for groups who do not turn up on time for pre-booked activities.
• If you cancel or do not turn up for any activities that were free of charge, ZSL reserves the right to charge a £25 administration fee. 
• If you are running late and expect that you will not be in the Zoo at least 30 minutes before the start of any booked activities, please call the Supporter Contact Team on 0344 225 1826, who will get a message to the team delivering your activities. ZSL will try to reschedule activities where possible, but this will depend on availability on the day and is not guaranteed. ZSL are unable to refund for any workshops that are missed or cancelled due to lateness of the group.

Risk assessments and pre-trip planning

• It is the responsibility of the educational organisation booking the trip to ensure that they have everything they need to plan for their trip accordingly, including any risk assessments they are required to complete ahead of the trip.
• To assist with this, ZSL have created documents to support risk assessments and trip preparation. Details of these can be found here. Please note that these are only guidelines; ZSL encourage you to conduct your own risk assessment. Should you have any questions or require further support, please contact the learning team via email at [email protected].
• To aid with planning and preparation, teaching staff are able to access a free familiarisation visit ahead of a booked trip. Teachers must have a confirmed school trip booking to be eligible for a free familiarisation visit. Tickets for familiarisation visits must be booked in advance through the Learning team, who will issue tickets for these visits accordingly. Tickets are available only for staff from the named school in order to aid with planning for their upcoming trip. One ticket can be issued per class booked.
• Familiarisation tickets are only available to groups who have booked an educational visit to London Zoo.
• London Zoo also offer free pre-visit consultations with the learning team, subject to availability to support teachers to plan for trips. These must be booked in advance and are not guaranteed as part of a booking.
• ZSL reserves the right to charge a £25 administration fee to groups who book a pre-visit consultation but do not turn up or cancel within 24 hours of the event.

Lunch facilities

• London Zoo has a number of catering outlets around the zoo where food and beverages can be purchased and eaten. Drinking water is also available.
• London Zoo does not have a pre-bookable lunch space for groups bringing their own food. There are a number of spaces around the zoo that groups can sit to eat food they have brought with them.
• These spaces are not guaranteed and may be used by other groups visiting on the day. Please note many of these spaces are outside.
• We cannot control exposure of any allergens.

ZSL's privacy policy

• ZSL is committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with their obligations under data protection legislation. The current data protection law is found in the General Data Protection Regulation as supplemented by the Data Protection Act 2018 and related laws.
• The ZSL privacy policy explains what information ZSL collects about you and how it will be used. You can read our full privacy policy here.