Does Sydney Zoo offer school excursion programs?
Yes, Sydney Zoo offers a range of school excursion programs. For more details, visit our birthday parties page here.
Does Sydney Zoo offer school incursion or virtual programs?
Yes, Sydney Zoo offers both incursion programs and virtual programs. For more information see our incursion programs page or our virtual programs page.
Does Sydney Zoo offer vacation care?
Yes, Sydney Zoo offers a vacation care program. For more details, visit our vacation care page here.
What year groups and age ranges are your education programs designed for?
The programs can be tailored toward students between early childhood and up to stage 6.
Are your programs aligned to the NSW curriculum?
Yes, all education programs are aligned to the NSW curriculum.
What topics or key learning areas do your education programs cover?
Our workshops cover a range of KLAs including science, geography, biology, business studies, history, music, dance, and cover cross curricular properties of sustainability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture.
Can we combine more than one workshop?
If there are certain topics you would like us to deliver, please reach out to our education team at education@sydneyzoo.com and we can look at combining workshops or altering current workshops to deliver what you'd like.
Does the workshop cost include admission to Sydney Zoo?
Yes, all workshops include zoo entry.
How long does a typical excursion program run?
Most schools arrive between 9.15 and 10am, staying until 1.30-2pm. During that time, schools can explore through a self guided visit or spend part of their day doing workshops.
Does Sydney Zoo provide a run sheet for the day for when we are not in our workshop?
No, this is up to you, but we do have suggestions available so that you can prioritise seeing certain parts of the zoo before your workshop.
What is the required student-to-supervisor ratio for a school excursion?
Our requirement is adequate active supervision. We provide 1:5 staff attending free for primary and preschool, and 1:10 for high school groups.
Are teachers and parent helpers free of charge?
Up to 1:5 preschool and primary ratio and 1:10 for high school are free of charge.
Groups with additional needs are exempt and can bring higher numbers of free attending teachers and helpers.
Are there programs available for early childhood or preschool groups?
Yes, we deliver a wide range of early childhood programs.
Do you cater for students with disabilities or additional learning needs?
Yes, we even have some tactile kits for schools to borrow during their visit and we can alter our programs to better suit your students needs.
Are vacation care groups able to book education programs?
Currently we only offer self-guided bookings for vacation care bookings.
How do I book an education program, and how far in advance should I plan?
Fill out our bookings form here and if there are any specific requirements please add these to the form and we'll do our best to accommodate. We recommend booking in early to avoid disappointment especially if you're seeking dates in term 2 and 3.
What is the cost per student, and are there concession rates available?
Student rates are $18 for self-guided, $21 for First Nations 60 minute programs and $25 for 90+minute Living World focussed programs. There is a minimum of 20 students per workshop and maximum of 30.
Are there discounts for low socio-economic schools?
We offer a special Education Access Scheme that schools can apply for. For more information see our Education Access Scheme page here.
Is there a designated area for groups to have lunch during an excursion?
We do not have a designated area, however there are many picnic and open grassed areas that are available to eat in throughout the zoo.
Is there a place to leave student bags for the day?
No, we recommend students bring small backpacks with only essentials as they will need to carry them.
Can teachers or group leaders do a pre-visit to plan for the excursion?
Yes, please reach out to our education team at education@sydneyzoo.com to arrange a complimentary pre-visit to plan your excursion.
What happens if it rains?
We will continue all workshops and adjust any programming into more sheltered spaces within the zoo while still providing an exciting workshop experience for students and teachers. If the forecast appears dangerous the education team will reach out to reschedule. Schools can reschedule if they feel the weather forecast is not ideal for their visit.
Are resources such as pre-visit or post-visit materials provided for teachers?
Yes, there is a suite of teacher toolkits, student workbooks, a social story and video you can use before or after your visit. You can view them on our resources page here.
Is there a maximum group size per education session?
Typically a maximum of 30, however if we need to expand this due to large numbers or limited available workshops we can make exceptions up to 35.
Do students with a yearly pass need to pay to attend with their school?
Yes, all students attending as part of your school booking will need to be included in your final numbers. Our Annual Memberships terms and conditions state school excursions are not included in yearly passes.
Is there wheelchair hire for students who require one?
Yes, we offer wheel chair hire at the prices listed below. Give us a call on 02 7202 2560 ahead of your visit to organise.
Wheelchair Hire proudly supported by Sunrise Medical.
Free plus $50 refundable deposit.
Electric Mobility Scooter proudly supported by Sunrise Medical.
$20 per day plus $80 refundable deposit.
The weight limit on scooters is 135kg based on manufacturer’s instructions. The hire of a mobility scooter is only available to persons with limited or restricted mobility i.e. a person who is not capable of walking large distances due to a medical condition, an injury, pregnancy, obesity or advancing age.
Sydney Zoo offers high quality mobility devices for hire from our information desk at the zoo entrance, subject to availability. Photo identification is required. For advanced bookings, please contact our Guest Services team at 02 7202 2560 as availability is limited.
Are there suitable bathroom and change facilities for students with additional needs?
If you require a changing area please let us know when booking. We have a flat bed in our larger first aid room and also have a number of accessible bathrooms throughout the zoo.
Do all Sydney Zoo Education Staff hold current WWCC?
Yes, all of the education team hold a current WWCC.
What are the payment options for education bookings?
Our preferred payment method is a credit card payment through a link, but we can also arrange invoicing as needed.
Do you provide refunds for students who do not attend on the day?
Yes, we do provide refunds when paying for excursions via credit card only.
