Education sessions for home educated children

Sessions for 2023-2024 are now available to book! Scroll down this page for details of the sessions, including topics, session dates, and the booking form.

These sessions are aimed at families who home educate. If you are a teacher at a school, please see our school page for more details (click here). Sessions require pre-registration. Unregistered children will not be allowed to participate. Home education classes are designed to build on one another, and you can (if registered) attend all the age-appropriate sessions, or if you prefer, just register for one or two.

These sessions do not include entry to the zoo. There is no fee for the sessions, but participants must arrange entry separately either by paying standard entry fees (click here for prices), organising themselves with 15 people to qualify for our group rates (click here for group details), or using zoo passes (click here for details)(recommended if you plan on attending more than one session) to gain entry to the zoo.


Are you interested in a free STEM project and contest open to home educators?
The Colchester Zoo STEM Design Challenge is open to home educators, schools, and other children’s education groups. Resources are delivered digitally and virtually and there is no need to visit Colchester Zoo to participate. Find out more about this excited project, and register to participate on the STEM Design Challenge page.


2023-2024 Home Education Sessions

These are details about the upcoming Sept 2023-May 2024 Home Education Sessions.

Regular Session Topics 2023-2024

Sessions will run on three days each month (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday), the sessions offered are identical on each day. Each day will have sessions aimed at different age ranges – 5-7 year olds, 7-11 year olds, and 11-16 year olds. Please note, there are changes to times/days from previous years of Home Education sessions.

Availability as of 9 Jan

5-7 year old sessions take place on:
Monday 12:00-12:45 pm (Full, waitlist available) OR 1:00-1:45pm; Tuesday 12:00-12:45pm (Full, waitlist available); Wednesday 1:00-1:45pm

7-11 year old sessions take place on:
Monday 2:00-2:45 pm (Full, waitlist available); Tuesday 1:00-1:45pm (Full, waitlist available) OR 2:00-2:45 (Full, waitlist available); Wednesday 2:00-2:45pm (Full, waitlist available)

11-16 year old sessions take place on:
Monday 3:00-4:00 pm; Tuesday 3:00-4:00 pm (Full, waitlist available); Wednesday 3:00-4:00 pm

Click below to download a PDF of all the session topics, and a description of what will be covered for each age group.

Session Dates for 2023-2024:

  • September – Mon 4th, Tues 5th, & Wed 6th 2023
  • October – Mon 2nd, Tues 3rd, & Wed 4th 2023
  • November – Mon 6th, Tues 7th, & Wed 8th 2023
  • December – Mon 4th, Tues 5th, & Wed 6th 2023
  • January – Mon 8th, Tues 9th, & Wed 10th 2024
  • February – Mon 5th, Tues 6th, & Wed 7th 2024
  • March – Mon 4th, Tues 5th, & Wed 6th 2024
  • April – Mon 15th, Tues 16th, & Wed 17th 2024
  • May – Mon 13th, Tues 14th, & Wed 15th 2024

2023-2024 Session Registration

To register for these sessions, please download and complete the following registration form. Completed registration forms should be emailed to education@colchesterzoo.org.



Home Education Session Terms & Conditions:

Unexpected Circumstances: Sessions sessions are offered in good faith on the assumption that Colchester Zoo will be open and visitors will be allowed to attend sessions. Please be aware, that due to potential unforeseen circumstances (e.g. government restrictions, severe weather events, etc.) there may be unexpected changes to sessions dates and/or topics. Additionally, due to situations outside of Colchester Zoos’ control, as a last resort, sessions may be cancelled. We will endeavour to avoid this wherever possible, and strive to keep registrants updated if this occurs.

Age to Attend Sessions: The sessions are divided into different age groups because this lets us tailor the session to include terminology and activities which are better suited to different age ranges. However, the ages we provide are just guidelines of where we will be targeting the information/activities, not firm requirements. To ensure the smooth running of the session, and for the benefit of all participants, we request younger/older children do not attend if they would be disruptive to the rest of the group.

Adult Supervision: All children attending sessions must be accompanied by an adult.

Minimum Class Size: Colchester Zoo reserves the right to cancel a class, no less than 4 days prior to the first class of the month, if registration is under five participants. In this event, you will be notified via the email you provided when you registered. You will also be given the option to attend the other date the same session is offered (e.g. if the Monday session is cancelled you would be offered a space in the Wednesday class if you so wish).

Maximum Class Size: Classes have a maximum of 25 participants. If a class is full, you will be put on a waiting list and contacted if there are any cancellations. Being on the wait list does not guarantee you will be able to attend the session.

Unattended Sessions: If you are unable to attend a session, please inform Colchester Zoo via email (education@colchesterzoo.org) as soon as possible. This will allow them to contact someone on the waiting list to let them attend. If you repeatedly do not attend sessions you are registered for, without letting the zoo know, you may be removed from future sessions.

Please note – Home Education sessions are free of charge. However, Registration for sessions does not include entry to the zoo. Participants must arrange entry to the zoo separately; either paying entrance price, organising themselves independently into a group of 15 (to qualify for group rates), or using zoo passes (gold cards) (see above for further details).


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