We Can Visit your School or College

Heythrop Zoological Gardens, based in Chipping Norton, West Oxfordshire, is the largest providers of animals for film, TV, advertising, natural history documentaries, photography and live events in Europe. Our animals have appeared in favourites such as Harry Potter and Big Barn Farm and have worked with David Attenborough and a host of pop stars and actors. Our company is actively involved in education within our industry.

We have been running roadshows at special events for the past 40 years and now offer a tailor-made service to schools and colleges. As we all know, outcomes across the curriculum improve when pupils learn from first-hand experience. Therefore, what could be better when starting a Science project than to investigate real live animals visiting your school, complete with trainers who can give educational talks and answer questions?

We offer several different packages specifically designed for schools, below.

For all prices - please submit your enquiry.

With packages 3, 4 and 5, we can do up to 4 x (45min - 1hour) sessions throughout the day.

Schools and colleges need to provide a warm holding room for our staff to assemble the animals (particularly in the winter months). An average booking consists of 4 x 45 minute presentations to be scheduled around your timetable.

We have a large selection of animals available and can tailor the visit around the topics you are studying and make a bespoke package for you.

Why book a School or College Visit?

School or College visits provide large numbers of pupils with memorable curriculum-linked experiences without the need for transport. The visits help educate pupils to become more aware of the needs of animals and how they are cared for.

Promoting accredited vocational qualifications for our industry

Our company were at the forefront of introducing NVQ/QCF qualifications. Our staff were among the first to gain City and Guilds accredited qualifications in animal training. We were also amongst the first to have members of staff qualify as OCR A1 assessors, which enables us to provide an accredited qualification route through our company. We currently have the largest employed workforce of qualified animal trainers in the UK. One member of our staff won the City and Guild Medal of Excellence and had this accolade presented to her at Buckingham Palace by the Duke of Edinburgh. She also went on to win the City and Guilds Innovator of the Year. If you are interested please see details on our work experience page.

Promoting awareness of animals and the promotion of natural science

Heythrop Zoological Gardens Ltd T/A Amazing Animals has had a longstanding career in the development of Natural History Documentaries and books. We have been actively involved in several scientific projects that have been made possible only with the use of our trained animals. We believe that our wild animals are the ambassadors for their cousins in the wild state. By showcasing wild animals to the general public we indirectly help create more awareness for their conservation.

Develop investigation and communication skills

The roadshows aim to capture pupils’ interest in nature and help them to understand conservation issues for animals in the wild, including their history and the cultures they are part of. Close encounters with animals can also inspire poetry, music, dance, artwork and pieces of drama after the visit. Events are structured to enable pupils to explore the animals in detail so that they have lots of information to use in follow-up work. Recording the animals through photography and drawing is encouraged, as is using vocabulary to describe their characteristics and their relationship to other animals and their environment.