Zoo

Teachers and schools can use the form at the bottom of this page to enquire about our school trips. Alternatively, you can call the office on 01670 841235 or email zoo@kirkleyhall.co.uk to make enquiries and check availability with us.

Once you have secured a date, we will ask you to fill out a booking form. Please let us know what you have been learning about in class so that our guides can focus on this during your visit.

Groups will be split into groups of 20 and each will have an experienced and animal crazy guide for the full day! Because of this we can be extremely flexible to cater to the needs of you and your class so please let us know what you hope to achieve from your visit and we’ll work with you to plan the perfect day!

Most schools choose to follow the following itinerary:

Zoo Tour

Our interactive tour will include a number of games and activities linked to both our animals and the science curriculum for your year group. The tour will include our Walk of Life where lots of our reptiles and primates live.

Reptile Encounter

Each group will visit our Discovery Room to meet some of our reptiles and invertebrates such as giant snails and millipedes.

Woodland Walk

Our newly renovated woodland walk now includes lots of fantastic carved bears and massive musical instruments. Children will compare our woodland to the rainforest and learn about the creatures who live in both environments.

Wallaby Walkthrough

Groups will enter our wallaby enclosure so that they can get a close look at them. Children will learn about how marsupial raise their young and compare them to other animals. You may also visit our Aquatics department during this session.

Lorikeets

For an additional £1 per child, your class can meet our gorgeous Rainbow Lorikeets. You will be given a pot of nectar which is their favourite treat. Just tick the box on the form to book this.

You can download our risk assessment here for our zoo school trips.

If you would like to visit the zoo to familiarise yourself and to conduct your own risk assessment, you are more than welcome. If you let us know by email when you would like to come, we can arrange a free ticket for you.

What animals do you have at the zoo?

Follow this link to see a list of all of our animals. We recommend that you use this part of our website before and after your trip as it has lots of information about each animal including their diet and natural habitat. It is a great tool to use if you are learning about classification in science because the animals are split into the different groups i.e. mammals, birds, reptiles etc.

Is this trip suitable for young people with disabilities?

Yes! Our zoo is relatively flat and there isn’t a huge amount of walking between the animals. We have also recently refurbished our woodland trial to make it more wheel chair accessible. We will alter the route we take slightly to ensure that everyone can join in.

Please let us know about any addition needs within your group and we will take steps to ensure that the whole class will have a brilliant day.

What time should we arrive and leave?

Most schools prefer to arrive at 10am and depart at 2pm. These times are flexible and we encourage you to stay for as long as possible to get the most out of your trip. Just let us know so that we can meet you at the right time!

Where will we eat lunch?

Lunch will either be in one of our classrooms or when the weather is good, some schools prefer to eat in one of our picnic areas. Classrooms are available from about 12:00 until 1:00 so lunch will be between these times.

How many adults can I bring for free?

Within reason, as many as you need. Adults are free to your normal school ratios. If any of your class require 1:1 support, they will go free as well. Just let us know how many adults you would like to bring.