Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Bristol, Somerset offers students everything they need for an educational enriched, fun-packed, animal welfare school trip experience. With over 100 different animal species (from chickens to elephants!) providing a great learning opportunity for all ages and abilities covering many topics that focus on conservation, wildlife and the environment.
South West
Clevedon Road, Wraxall, Bristol, South West, BS48 1PG
MONTHS OPEN
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
DAYS OPEN
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
AGE GROUPs
PreSchool, 5 to 7 years, 8 to 10 years, 11 to 13 years, 14 to 16 years, College, University
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SEN
Listed under: Animal Experiences| Animal Welfare| Art and Design| Biology| Bird of Prey Centres| Conservation| Curriculum Subject / Activity Type| Day Trip Destinations| Ecology & Green Awareness| Environment Centres| Environmental Studies| Farms| Field Studies| Field Study Centres| Indoor Activity & Soft Play Centres| Religious Education| Science| Special Educational Needs (SEN)| Wildlife and Nature Reserves| Wildlife Parks| Zoos|
What we offer on a school trip
Set in one hundred acres of beautiful Somerset countryside, Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm offers everything you need for an unforgettable educational trip. We have over 100 different animal species, from Farm animals to Big Zoo animals such as Bears, Elephants, Lions and Rhinos. Educational field trips are a great way to learn, and a day out at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm can provide fantastic learning opportunities for all ages and abilities.
Our ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ accredited Education Programme offers an extensive variety of teaching sessions and learning resources to help you communicate the National Curriculum in a fun, exciting environment. We offer a comprehensive range of workshops, all delivered with a hands-on focus which offer the opportunity to meet exciting live animals up close! Animal artefacts such as skulls, teeth and skins are often used to support learning. As well as our standard curriculum-based topics, we can also create bespoke workshops on a topic of your choice.
We offer educational sessions to any group, from early years to degree level, including groups with special educational needs, scout groups and holiday clubs. There is a maximum class size of 30. Educational sessions are available weekdays throughout the year. Please note, these sessions must be booked in advance.
Our keepers are animal experts – make sure you catch a fascinating daily talk or feed. The amazing animal talks feature our animals demonstrating their remarkable skills and adaptations. Talks and feeds are all free of charge. Come along and learn about our mob of Meerkats from our experienced animal keepers, find out more about our Elephants and watch in awe as they show off their target training skills or watch our Birds of Prey circle the sky and fly from post to post in the Bird of Prey display – there is something for everyone!
We have plenty of indoor and outdoor areas for students to have their lunch and there is a room onsite where lunch bags can be stored throughout the duration of the visit. If students still have energy to burn, we have plenty of indoor and outdoor play areas for all ages to enjoy.
We have a teacher resources page on our website to help you plan your trip. This includes guidance notes, a general risk assessment, workshop details and national curriculum links. If you are interested in an educational visit to Noah’s Ark, you can arrange a free teacher pre-visit where you can look around the site and see all the facilities on offer.
If you can’t make it to the zoo, then let us bring the zoo to you! Our Education Team can provide outreach visits at a venue of your choice, delivering workshops, assemblies and fun animal meet and greet sessions for all ages. Our sessions provide unforgettable, interactive experiences using a variety of exciting animal artifacts alongside real life animals.
Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm Bristol
Zoo Bristol
animal welfare Bristol
farm Bristol
conservation
What makes us a great choice for educational groups
Our highly qualified and knowledgeable Education Team are dedicated to ensuring you get the most out of your visit. Whether you’re interested in our curriculum linked workshops or prefer to lead your own self-guided visit, we have all the information you need to plan a trip to remember.
We have a range of exciting workshops and Walking Safaris, all securely rooted in the national curriculum. All of our sessions at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm use the National Curriculum objectives as their foundation. From consulting with many teachers about their specific topic aims (and from our own wealth of experience) we have transformed these objectives into fun and interactive learning experiences. Although we strive to be curriculum linked and curriculum relevant, we believe learning outside the classroom is about so much more than just lesson objectives. To this end, we endeavour to adapt our sessions to meet the needs of our learners on the day rather than being bound by a rigid structure.
All of our workshops have been carefully designed to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities and an experience to remember. What’s more, the learning doesn’t stop! A core aim of our sessions is to inspire students and send them away wanting to continue their learning adventure, either around the rest of the site or at home.
One of our Education Team can personally discuss the learning goals for the visit with the trip organiser. We can then provide recommendations of how they can make the most of our facilities. This may include, but is not limited to, organising itineraries, suggesting ‘must see’ keeper talks, providing zoo trails to use during the day or creating bespoke workshops. Trip organisers are given clear details on what their workshop will entail and the opportunity to suggest alterations.
Accreditation and awards
We have held the LOtC Quality Badge for over 10 years with our latest inspection being in August 2023.
Our greatest accreditation is the feedback we receive from teachers and pupils alike. Read what they have to say about their fantastic school trip experience in our testimonials section.
What is typically included on our school trips
If there are various options, for instance for different key stages, or for different curriculum topics, then please write as many as you want to include. If you tailor each visit specifically to the needs of the group then please also mention this.
- Farmyard animals as well as the Big Zoo animals: Elephants, Rhino, Zebra, Bears, Lions, Lemurs, Meerkats, Birds of Prey, Tapir, Camels and many more…
- A variety of keeper talks including a Bird of Prey display and an Elephant Talk
- The opportunity to book one of our fantastic educational sessions and experience a workshop or walking safari with one of our amazing education team
- Hands-on approach to the animals; opportunity to buy bird and animal food to feed a number of our farm animals.
- Selection of workshops linked to the National Curriculum in the indoor classroom
- Huge indoor and outdoor adventure playgrounds
- Large indoor and outdoor picnic areas
- Free familiarisation pre-visit for teachers
- Free teachers at a ratio of 1:6
- Use of our lunchbox storage room
- Free Coach Parking, free entry and complimentary cafe voucher for the driver
- Health and Safety Guidance Notes
- First Aiders onsite
- Downloadable Risk Assessment and teaching resources
- Comprehensive downloadable resources including visit guidelines, workshop details, curriculum links and teaching idea sheets.
We can tailor each visit specifically to the needs of your group.
Group sizes
Due to having such a large site (over 100 acres), we cater for groups of all sizes. If you would like to book an educational workshop we are limited to 30 students in each session.
Materials, resources & key stage information
The Education Team can help with planning itineraries if this is something you would like. We also have a number of zoo trails/activities that we can send over for you to use during the day. How our workshops relate to individual key stages can also be seen on our website.
Photography, filming & audio restrictions
We welcome cameras on site (for personal use), so long as you have the subject’s consent.
Risk assessment
Our general risk assessment for schools can be found on our website. If you are interested in an educational trip to Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, we offer a free teacher pre-visit where you’ll have the chance to explore the site before your trip. Please note that pre-booking is essential.
Education officer
We have a small but highly qualified and experienced team. The team are experienced in leading education sessions with students from Nursery age to Higher Education level and are happy to adapt sessions to suit your requirements.
Email: educationteam@noahsarkzoofarm.co.uk
Telephone number: 01275 852606
Pricing
We offer a highly discounted rate for educational groups.
2024 Education Group Admission Rate (effective from 1st January 2024):
- £8.00 per child.
- One free teacher for every 6 children.
- Any additional adults will be charged at £8.00pp.
- If any child requires 1:1 care, then the carers will come in for free.
2024 Post-16 Group Admission Rate (effective from 1st January 2024):
- £11.00 per student.
- One free tutor for every 6 students.
- Any additional staff members will be charged at £11.00pp.
Please note that pre-booking is essential to receive the education group rates.
Education workshops for up to 30 students are charged at an additional rate.
Please see website for details: School Prices | Zoo School | Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm (noahsarkzoofarm.co.uk)
Clothing requirements
We recommend suitable outdoor clothing according to the time of year (wellies recommended in wet weather). Long cotton trousers are best for the slides. If you wish to take the children into the walk-through aviary, you must expect the usual hazards under foot.
We recommend that every group comes prepared for all weathers as our outside areas are exposed to the elements. Warm and waterproof clothing in the winter and hats and sunscreen in the summer. We also recommend sensible footwear.
First aid
First aiders are always on site. If you have any first aid issues please visit the First Aid room, opposite the gift shop.
Available facilities
There is a café on site for those who would like to use it. However, it is not a large enough area for educational groups to eat their lunch. Animal-free picnic areas are available for picnics both inside and outside. We have several marquees around the site that can be used for lunch during your visit. There are hand-washing facilities and toilets at regular intervals around the site.
We have a gift shop that provides a variety of gifts (to suit all ages and budgets) and goodie bags are available to pre-order. Animal and/or bird food for our animal contact zones is also available to purchase for only £1.50 per bag. It If you require a large quantity of animal food this must be preordered.
Accessibility & disabled facilities
Noah’s Ark is working on a long term ‘Ark for All’ plan, the first stage of which was completed and was opened on 25th July 2018 by Paralympian Andy Lewis. Our facilities include a Changing Places toilet, complete with hoist and changing bed, accessible play equipment including a wheelchair accessible roundabout and child-friendly accessible signage.
Noah’s Ark prides itself in being an accessible site and achieved Gold for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism at the Visit Egland Tourism Awards for Excellence.
Opening times
We are open 7 days a week from 10.30am to 5pm. In December and January we close at 4pm. If you are planning to arrive a little earlier, then please let us know and we will see if we can accommodate this. Onsite educational workshops are available weekdays and educational outreach sessions are available weekdays 10.30am – 15.00pm.
Testimonials
Read what others have to say about their fantastic trip experience below:
“The children had such an amazing time and enjoyed every single second. All the adults came away buzzing too! I really want to emphasise how utterly amazing all the staff have been for us, everybody on site today was so smiley, positive, and enthusiastic.”
“The talks around the zoo were outstanding – some of the best I have ever heard.”
“The education session was pitched perfectly for what I asked for in the specification. All children (some with SEN) were able to handle the animals, the staff were very informative.”
“Thank you for embracing our school and adapting for us, you have been so helpful and kind, I can’t express how grateful I am to you. All the teacher and parents talked about how valuable and engaging the sessions were, looking at the children’s faces in the photos really says it all so thank you.”
The space was great, children were able to see animals up close and it didn’t feel like we were invading anyone else’s experience”
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