Extra sessions on plant biology, wildlife, seed science and more will now be available to schools at Wakehurst in Sussex.
The purpose-built Clean Planet Tent will enable another 1,000 students to be educated, adding to the 12,000 school children who were welcomed at Wakehurst in 2024.
It is hoped that the new outdoor classroom will encourage students to feel inspired in a natural environment with an additional class held there every day.
The partnership with the Clean Planet Foundation also supports Wakehurst’s Nature Connectedness teacher training which helps teachers to lead nature connectedness sessions.
Julie Whelan, learning manager at Wakehurst, said: “This new learning space means we can welcome even more school children to the gardens for informative and engaging sessions, inspiring minds of all ages. This new exciting partnership means that we will be able to continue training the next generation, through both on and off-site learning.”
School visits to Wakehurst
All ages are catered for, from Early Years to Key Stage 5 with a variety of teaching resources available.
A full day’s school trip to Wakehurst typically consists of one workshop linking to the curriculum and sessions are led by experienced teachers.
Key Stage 2 workshops include ‘Banking on seeds’ which involves a visit to the world-famous Millenium Seed Bank to discover why Kew is saving seeds from all around the world. While the KS4 Meadow Investigation session invites pupils to carry out fieldwork in a traditionally managed wildflower meadow using various sampling and measurement techniques.
In addition to school sessions, the team also offers a range of bespoke CPD and training for teachers and school leaders including Carbon Literacy Training.
More about Wakehurst
Kew’s sister garden, Wakehurst boasts 500 acres of diverse landscapes and plants from across the globe as well as its Millenium Seed Bank. Its attractions include the Grade I listed Elizabethan Mansion, beautiful Walled Garden as well as a Children’s and Community Garden, Himalayan Glade and the Pollination Garden.
This year is the 25th anniversary of its Millenium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world. It has collected more than 2.5 billion seeds from over 40,000 different plant species since opening in 2000.
Click here for more information about school visits and how to book, and email schoolstraining@kew.org to find out more about CPD opportunities.
