Free school visits 2026
Nearly 33,000 children will be able to visit the zoo for free as part of an organised educational visit between November 2026 – February 2027.
Supporting our mission to prevent extinction, we're once again giving away FREE tickets for school children to explore conservation up close at Chester Zoo. We aim to empower as many young people as possible, sparking a passion for saving species and inspiring a nation of conservationists.
The scheme, which has ran since 2017, has seen over 200,000 school children enter our gates, many of them for the first time, to experience the wonder of seeing our amazing collection of animals and plants and learn about the ways we are all helping to prevent extinction.
Visiting the zoo can foster a lifelong connection with nature. For the schools accessing our free ticket scheme, it gives them the opportunity to support their pupils to learn about incredible species whilst being inspired to take conservation action.
Our zoo educators are passionate about educational reform by embedding conservation education, including issues such as climate change and sustainability, into the curriculum. With an increase in young people’s awareness and desire to be involved in conservation campaigns, zoos and schools play an important role in championing their knowledge and give them a place to explore these topics in more depth.
REQUEST YOUR FREE SCHOOL VISIT HERE
A few T&C’s:
- Places are available for pupils from nursery age to year 13, for weekday visits between 2 November 2026 to 26 February 2027.
- Tickets are available during the Cheshire West and Chester region term time only.
- Home educators are eligible to apply as a group through a Home Educators’ Network.
- Registered Childminders following the early years curriculum are also eligible.
- There is a maximum capacity of bookings per day to avoid overcrowding and ensure every child and visitor is able to enjoy a safe and world class experience.
- Application forms must be completed by a member of school staff. Applications from parents on behalf of a school will not be accepted.
- Schools who have received tickets through the scheme for the last four academic years (2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26) will not be eligible for this years allocation.
*Application forms that are incomplete or submitted after this date will not be processed. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis so we advise you to complete the form at your earliest opportunity. If we receive a high volume of applications, we reserve the right to close the application window early.
All schools will be notified by 31 May 2026. Due to the volume of applications we will be unable to provide updates on applications until 31 May 2026.
