Prices, planning and practical information

Prices

You can book a self-led visit or try an education session with hands-on curriculum-linked activities led by a Kew teacher (additional fees apply).

Entry fee

Our entry fee covers entry to the Gardens for your pupils and supervising adults (including any adults required for 1:1 SEN support), in line with our required supervision ratios. Any additional adults outside of our required supervision ratios are charged the concessionary rate of £12 for entry, if booked in advance.

Please note that entry fees also apply to home educators and other educational organisations.

Entry fee for pupils from EYFS to Key Stage 5:

Up to 16 pupils: £35
17-35 pupils: £70
36–70 pupils: £120
71–105 pupils: £165
106–140 pupils: £210
141–175 pupils: £255
176–201 pupils: £300

Entry 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 entry fees will be combined as appropriate.

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

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.

Cancelling visits

Once we have confirmed your booking, we allow 1 working day to review the details of your booking and request a change without incurring any fees, after which point, you become liable for payment in full. If you would like to 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.

Planning

Getting to Kew

Visit our getting here page for more information about travelling to Kew.

Please ensure you check your journey before travelling.

Coach and minibus arrival and departure

Please give your driver(s) a printout of this information for coaches.

Due to limited capacity at Kew Green, coaches and minibuses will be provided with a scheduled arrival and departure time.

Coach drop-offs and pick-ups are at Elizabeth Gate on Kew Green. Due to borough-wide changes to traffic management, coaches and minibuses can no longer pick-up or drop-off groups on Kew Road (A307).

The carriage ring is for coach drop off and collection only and there is a 15-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 guidance on parking 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 – Reservations are not possible. Three coach spaces are available at £17.50 per day in the car park run by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames;
Hampton Court Green, Hampton Court Road – Reservations are not possible. Eight spaces are available at no charge.
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 – Reservations are not possible. 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 – Reservations are not possible. Limited spaces are available in the Kew car park for minibuses. More details can be found on our getting here page.

Safeguarding and Supervision

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. If a parent, guardian, or carer is not present on the trip, it is the responsibility of the trip organiser to ensure that the parent/guardian has given permission for their child to be supervised by another adult accompanying the trip.
For adult learning organisations and university groups, a member of staff must accompany the group.

Your booking documents will contain personal information. If you print these for the day of your visit, please ensure you store them securely and dispose of them off site, in line with your schools own GDPR policies.

Please be aware of other visitors as you explore the Gardens. Any photographs or footage taken by pupils as part of a school visit should be for personal and academic use only.

Health and Safety

Leaders of school groups must accept responsibility for any first aid requirements of their pupils or staff should they arise. All supervising adults should carry a mobile phone and a contact number for the leader of your group. In the event of an emergency, Kew Constabulary can be called.

Please ensure that all supervising adults know the itinerary for the day and fully understand their roles and responsibilities.

Groups should take particular care around moving vehicles, lakes and ponds, and when looking at poisonous, thorny or spiky plants.

Both pupils and supervising adults should be aware of Kew’s Dos and Don’ts in order to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable visit.

Completing your risk assessment

You will need to complete your own risk assessment for your visit to the Gardens.

For all the information you need to prepare your supervising adults and complete your risk assessment, we strongly recommend you read our risk assessment guide. Our guide identifies hazards and provides information on our existing control measures.

Our guide to completing your risk assessment

Teacher planning passes

As part of your school visit tickets and receipt document, you will receive two teacher pre-planning passes. You can use these at any time between receiving your tickets and visiting with your school, please just show your tickets to gates staff to redeem your planning passes.

What to do in an emergency

Please contact the nearest member of Kew staff or a Kew constable. The emergency number 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 constabulary, police force who deal with first aid, security, and emergencies.

Practical Information

We are an outdoor learning facility, and our education sessions take place throughout the Gardens.

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.

We recommend that you allow at least three to five hours to explore the Gardens and come prepared for all weathers. Footwear providing good support and grip is advisable when visiting the gardens.

Unfortunately, we are unable to store coats, bags or lunches so please ask pupils to bring only what they can carry.

Opening hours and map of the Gardens

The Gardens open at 10am. Our closing time varies throughout the year so we recommend checking our opening and closing times before visiting.

Map of Kew Gardens

Education sessions

Education session timetable

Our education sessions run from 10.30am to 2.20pm.

Times may vary for KS5 full day bookings, but our timetable is otherwise fixed and cannot be altered.

Meeting points

For all education sessions (except KS4 Field Studies and KS5 Field Studies II half day bookings), 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 half day bookings, these sessions take place further away. Please meet us at the lake crossing, near to boat house walk.

If you have chosen Field Studies II as part of a KS5 full day, it will be your afternoon session. Please meet your Kew teacher at the schools meeting point in the Botanical restaurant courtyard for your morning session.

What to do if you’re running late for your education session

Please ensure you allow plenty of time to get to your education session meeting point.

If you are running late, please get in touch as soon as possible to let us know your revised arrival time.

Pre and post visit 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.

Our pre and post visit resources

Lunches

Pupils are welcome to picnic outside in the Gardens, or your group may be booked into our school lunch space on a first come first served basis. Seating at cafes and restaurants is reserved for visitors that have purchased food and drink at one of our catering outlets.

Our lunch space is a set of three purpose-built tents, located next to the Children's Garden and Family Kitchen. The tents resemble traditional Nordic tipi tents with the purpose to provide shelter. They do not have toilets or handwashing facilities but do have hand sanitiser dispensers, and nearby toilets are marked on the site map.
The space is for the use of EYFS to Year 6 pupils, and pupils from SEN schools. We will automatically book you a time slot on a first come first served basis.
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.

Attractions

Please have a look at all the attractions we have on offer in the Gardens, and check for any planned closures before visiting.

We recommend keeping group sizes as small as possible when visiting potentially busy areas (e.g., glasshouses, galleries, shops, and other attractions such as The Treetop Walkway).

Glasshouses

In glasshouses, please ensure that pupils stay on marked paths and are supervised at all times, including when visiting the glasshouse balconies.

Please be aware that the Palm House and Princess of Wales Conservatory can be very busy and hot between May and July, and during festivals.

Marc Quinn: Light into Life (4 May to 29 September 2024)

There are 17 stainless steel and bronze sculptures around the Gardens and in the Temperate House alongside a presentation of Quinn’s work in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery.

So that everyone is able to enjoy all the wonderful installations, we advise that you visit the gallery in smaller groups and avoid obstructing others when stopping to appreciate sculptures in glasshouses and around the Gardens.

Please advise pupils to respect the artwork by avoiding the temptation to touch the sculptures when admiring them. Trail maps showing where each sculpture can be found in the Gardens are available to pick up at the gates.

The Children's Garden

The Children’s Garden is a free flow attraction suitable for ages 2 to 12 years old. We recommend that school groups visit the Children’s Garden between 11:30am and 1:30pm. School groups with older pupils should not plan to visit the Children’s Garden as part of their visit.

Whilst lone adults are not generally permitted to visit the Children’s Garden, teachers using their pre-visit planning pass may do so as part of their risk assessment processes. We request that you have your teacher planning passes ready, in case you are challenged as a lone adult in the space. Please note that you are not permitted to take photos.
When using the Children’s Garden, please ensure your pupils are supervised at all times and respect the play equipment, plants, and other visitors. We recommend that schools keep group sizes as small as possible when visiting the Children’s Garden, to make supervision of your pupils easier.
Kew hosting staff are not present within the Children’s Garden (outside of peak holiday periods). 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.
In adverse weather conditions the Children’s Garden may need to close at short notice for safety reasons. We advise checking our planned closures page for any updates prior to your visit.

Accessibility

Visit our accessibility page for all the information you need on accessibility.

We recommend using our visual guide alongside our accessibility map to help you prepare your pupils for an enjoyable visit.

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