Prices, planning and practical information
Booking your visit
Visit with your school or university group and be inspired by our world-leading botanic gardens.
You can find all the practical information you need to help you plan your day below.
Prices
Booking fee for pupils from EYFS to Key Stage 5
- Up to 35 pupils £70
- 36–70 pupils £120
- 71–105 pupils £165
- 106–140 pupils £210
- 141–175 pupils £255
- 176–201 pupils £300
Booking fee for universities and adult learning organisations
- 1-16 students £65
- 17 to 35 students £105
- 36–70 students £210
- 71–105 students £300
- 106–140 students £375
- 141–175 students £450
- 176–201 students £530
For groups of over 201 the booking fees will be combined as appropriate.
Please note that booking fees also apply to home educators and other educational organisations.
As a charity, any income that we generate from the schools’ programme goes directly towards paying our teachers, maintaining the Gardens, and supporting Kew’s vital scientific and conservation work, for the benefit of our planet and the next generation.
Education session prices
Education sessions take place in groups of 15 pupils.
For home educators, education sessions take place in groups of up to 18 (including supervising adults).
EYFS to Key Stage 4
- 45 minute sessions £38 per group
- 90 minute sessions £76 per group
Key Stage 5
- Half day (1 session) £88 per group
- Full day (2 sessions) £176 per group
Teachers and adults
- Up to the required supervision ratios outlined below: Free
- Adults needed for 1:1 SEN support: Free
- Adults above the required ratios: £12
Supervising your group
You are required to supervise your pupils at all times whilst onsite at Kew Gardens.
The required number of supervising adults is outlined below.
- Early Years/ Reception 1:4
- Key Stage 1 1:5
- Key Stage 2 1:8
- Key Stage 3 1:10
- Key Stage 4 1:12
- Key Stage 5 1:12
- SEN 1:1
- For home educators, each pupil visiting must be accompanied by a supervising adult which may be a parent, guardian, or carer.
- For adult learning organisations and university groups, a member of staff must accompany the group.
Please note that in the event that our required supervision ratios are not met, Kew reserves the right to cancel or pause an education session.
Risk assessment
This is a guide to help you develop a risk assessment specific to the needs of your own pupils and staff.
Recommended timings
The Gardens open at 10am. We recommend at least three to five hours for your visit.
The Gardens close at different times throughout the year. Check our opening and closing times as well as any planned closures before you visit.
Before your visit
Plan your time at Kew Gardens
Refer to our website prior to your visit to plan activities and a timetable for your pupils. Please note that the timetable for education sessions is a fixed schedule and cannot be altered.
Our education session timings are fixed and run from 10.30am to 2.20pm (10:30 am to 2:40pm for KS5). We will create an itinerary for you based on the availability of our Kew teachers.
You will receive two teacher pre-planning tickets once payment for your booking has been received. Please show your pre-planning tickets to Kew gate staff on entry to the Gardens.
Please note: For Safeguarding reasons and due to a limited capacity, you will be unable to visit the Children's Garden prior to visiting with your school group
Check our coronavirus guidance page for any updates regarding coronavirus and keeping you safe during your visit.
Consider the season
The Palm House and Princess of Wales Conservatory are very busy and very hot between May and July.
It is more comfortable to visit these at the end of your day and to plan activities around the other areas in the Gardens, such as the Treetop Walkway, the Hive, Temperate House, Badger Sett and Woodland Area.
Remember to check for planned closures and updates on our website.
Consider the weather
We are an outdoor learning facility and our education sessions take place throughout the Gardens.
Remind pupils to come prepared to walk outside regardless of the weather - while there are many things to see and do indoors at Kew Gardens, the size of the site requires a significant amount of outdoor time journeying from place to place.
Footwear providing good support and grip is advisable when visiting the gardens.
Briefing your pupils
Unfortunately, we are unable to store coats, bags or lunches so please ask pupils to bring only what they can carry.
Take care around:
- Lake and ponds
- Moving vehicles
- Poisonous, thorny and spiky plants.
Follow the Dos and Don’ts and please ensure your pupils...
- Don't climb trees
- Don't pick or eat anything
- Keep out of areas marked ‘private’
Any photographs or footage taken by pupils as part of a school visit should be for personal and academic use only.
Our Statutory Garden Regulations prohibit the taking of any photos in the Gardens for the purpose of any advertisement, trade or business.
Please ensure that pupils keep to the public walkways, do not obstruct other visitors and abide by our Garden Dos and Don’ts.
Prepare the adults in your group
Make sure that all supervisory adults have a copy of the itinerary for the day, along with a map of the Gardens.
Please ensure you keep any printed copies of your booking documents securely, in line with your schools' relevant GDPR policies, as these contain personal information.
Our accessibility map prioritises accessibility information and highlights areas of sensory interest. It also includes a zoomed-in map of part of the Gardens, to help you navigate the busiest area.
Ensure that all adults understand the importance of their roles and responsibilities, including arriving to lunch and education sessions on time.
All supervisory adults should also carry a mobile phone and have a list of mobile phone numbers for all adults in your party.
Know what to do in an emergency
Please contact the nearest member of Kew staff or a Kew constable. The emergency number on an internal phone is 333 and external is 020 8332 3333.
Please do not call 999 as ambulance/fire/police crews may take time to find you. It is better coordinated through Kew's own police force who deal with First Aid, security and emergencies.
School resources
Our free resources are curriculum-linked and designed to support your education session at Kew Gardens.
You can use them before and after your visit to engage your pupils in plant and fungal science.
Getting to Kew
It's easy to walk to Kew with your school group.
If you're travelling by public transport, we recommend checking the government guidelines for safe travel.
Coach and minibus drop off
Coach drop-offs and pick-ups are at Elizabeth Gate on Kew Green. Please note that, due to borough-wide changes to traffic management, coaches and minibuses can no longer pick-up or drop-off groups on Kew Road (A307).
Due to limited capacity at Kew Green, coaches and minibuses will be provided with a scheduled arrival and departure time. The carriage ring is for coach drop off and collection only and there is a 20-minute maximum stay for collection only. A maximum of two coaches are allowed in the carriage ring at any one time and there is one waiting bay on the left before the carriage ring. Please note that cones may be in place in the carriage ring to prevent vehicles other than coaches entering – if this is the case, coach drivers can move the cones to enter the ring for dropping off and picking up. For safety reasons they should ensure that the cones are returned to their position afterwards.
Coaches cannot wait on Kew Green but must depart to an alternative parking location as quickly as possible (see details below).
Please ask your drivers to always switch off engines while stationary – for the wellbeing of residents, Richmond is a no-idling borough and drivers may receive a fixed-penalty notice if they idle when stationary.
Coach parking
Coach parking is available at the following locations:
- Richmond Athletic Association, Twickenham Road, Richmond TW9 2SF
Coach parking can be pre-booked. There are special rates for Kew Gardens’ visitors: £25 per day for one coach; £20 each for more than one coach. Pre-book by telephone: 0208 940 0397.
- Richmond Town Centre, Old Deer Park, Twickenham Road, Richmond TW9 2RA
Three coach spaces are available at £17.50 per day in the car park run by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames; reservations are not possible.
- Hampton Court Green, Hampton Court Road
Eight spaces are available at no charge; reservations are not possible.
- Hampton Court Station, Hampton Court Way KT8 9AE
20 spaces are available at £15 per day in the car park run by Southwest trains. They can be pre-booked by telephone: 0845 6000 650.
Minibus parking
Minibus parking is available at the following locations and also the coach parking locations:
- Kew Green
Limited spaces are available on Kew Green. Restrictions apply on most residential streets around Kew. Check Richmond council website for parking updates.
- Kew Gardens Ferry Lane car park (TW9 3AF), near Brentford Gate
Limited spaces are available in the Kew car park for minibuses.
More details can be found on our getting here page.
What happens when you arrive
Meeting point for pre-booked education sessions
For all education sessions (except KS4 Field Studies and KS5 Field Studies II) please meet us in the courtyard at the left-hand side of The Botanical restaurant, which is opposite the Palm House.
For KS4 Field Studies and KS5 Field Studies II, these sessions take place further away. Please meet us at the lake crossing, near to boat house walk.
Please ensure you allow plenty of time to get to your education session meeting point.
You can also find the meeting point for education sessions with the What3Words app.
What to do if your arrival is delayed (assisted bookings only)
If you know in advance that you will be delayed, email us at schools@kew.org.
If you are unexpectedly delayed on the day, phone us as soon as possible on 020 8332 5627 with your revised arrival time.
During your visit
Access to glasshouses and galleries
Please note, glasshouses close one hour before the Gardens close. Please see our opening and closing times for further information.
Capacity in glasshouses and galleries can be limited. Please be aware of other visitors when using potentially busy areas (e.g., glasshouses, galleries, shops and other attractions such as The Treetop Walkway). We recommend keeping group sizes as small as possible.
In glasshouses, please ensure that pupils stay on marked paths and are supervised at all times, including when visiting the glasshouse balconies.
For further information on accessibility in glasshouses and galleries, please see our Accessibility at Kew Gardens page.
School Lunch Space
Our lunch space is a set of three purpose-built tents, located next to the White Peaks restaurant. The space is for the use of EYFS to Year 6 pupils, and pupils from SEN schools. If your group has other additional needs that mean they would benefit from a slot in the lunch space then please let us know and we will aim to accommodate you if we have availability.
The Children's Garden
The Children’s Garden is suitable for ages 2 to 12 years old. School groups with older pupils should not plan to visit the Children’s Garden as part of their visit.
We are no longer operating a pre-booked timeslot system for the Children’s Garden. It is now a free flow attraction where visitors can come and go from opening time up until one hour before the Gardens close. Kew hosting staff will no longer be present in the Children’s Garden (outside of peak holiday periods). We recommend that schools keep group sizes as small as possible when visiting the Children’s Garden, to make supervision of your pupils easier.
When using the Children’s Garden, please ensure your group:
- are supervised at all times.
- respect the plants within the Garden.
- use equipment safely.
- are considerate of other visitors whilst in the Children’s Garden. Your group will be sharing the space with other schools and day visitors, some of which may be younger.
There are yellow phones within the Children’s Garden which can be used to contact Kew Constabulary in case of any accidents, incidents or safeguarding concerns. You can also speak to staff in the nearby Family Kitchen and Shop.
Please see the Children’s Garden section of our website for more information about visiting this attraction.
Please note, in adverse weather conditions the Children’s Garden may need to close at short notice. Your safety, and that of our staff, is our highest priority. In the event that the Children’s Garden is closed at short notice, we will contact all affected schools. Please ensure you check our planned closures page for any updates prior to your visit.
Whilst lone adults are not generally permitted to visit the Children’s Garden, teachers using their pre-visit planning pass may as part of their risk assessment processes. We request that you have your ticket documentation ready, in case you are challenged as a lone adult in the space. Please note that you are not permitted to take photos during this visit.
Cancelling visits
By submitting a school booking form you become liable for payment in full. If you amend or cancel your booking you may incur fees. See our Terms and Conditions
Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to alter or cancel your visit by contacting us at schools@kew.org.
Contact us
If you have any queries, please email us at schools@kew.org.
Alternatively, call us on 0208 332 5627 and a member of our team will be able to help.
Please note, our lines can be busy. We will respond to all voicemail messages as soon as possible.
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