Education Group Access Pass

A group of male and female people in a large room that has a black and white tiled floor and exhibition panels saying Vita in the background — Visitors and volunteers at a Relaxed Session at Knole, Kent | © National Trust Images/Megan Taylor

The Education Group Access Pass (formerly known as Education Group Membership) is specially designed to encourage access to National Trust places for groups whose students or members are in full-time or early years education. It includes free admission and parking at most of the places in our care.

Benefits of the Education Group Access Pass

Education Group Access Pass holders receive free entry to National Trust places in England, Wales and Northern Ireland during published opening times. Where a place offers extra educational activities, additional charges may apply.

You will also receive:

the National Trust Handbook, full of information about the places we look after
the National Trust Magazine three times a year, packed with inspiration, interviews and news
free planning and preparation visits for group leaders – these preliminary visits should be booked in advance.

Applying for an Education Group Access Pass

Please contact our Supporter Services Centre, who will be happy to help you.

Telephone: 0344 800 1895 (local rates apply)
Email us: enquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk

Eligibility

Since 1 March 2024, the categories for Education Group Access Pass holders are no longer determined by the number of students enrolled at the place of education. Instead, they are categorised by group type: home-educating, not-for-profit, or for-profit.

All groups must have their students or members in full-time or early years education.

Eligible groups may include:

Schools
Colleges/sixth forms
Universities/university societies
Childminders
Education centres/field study centres
Home-educators
Pre-schools/nurseries
Scout and Guide groups
Youth clubs

The eligibility for either the not-for-profit or for-profit categories depends on the specific circumstances of the group that is applying.

Private schools are eligible for the not-for-profit tier if established as a not-for-profit organisation or charity. For academies made up of multiple schools or institutions, we recommend that each school should hold its own access pass.

Commercial companies that offer outdoor activities to children or young people aren’t eligible to hold the Education Group Access Pass. To highlight eligibility further:

A commercial company that runs tours or activities to people of any age, where education is not their core focus, would not be eligible for any EGAP.
However, an outdoor education centre/field study centre with a clear education focus (for-profit or not) would be eligible for an EGAP of the appropriate category.

The National Trust reserves the right to make the final decision on whether a group is eligible for an Education Group Access Pass and which tier is appropriate.

We're pleased to extend this pass to home-educating groups so that home-educated children have access to the same discounted entry as traditional schools. To distinguish between this category and our standard family membership, home-educating groups using their Education Group Access Pass can visit in normal school hours during school term time only. A maximum of two parents/guardians may enter on one home educator’s EGAP.

Costs and payment

Subscriptions cover one year from the date of joining.

Education Group Access Pass category	Rate (inclusive of VAT)
Home educating family	£63.00
Not-for-profit education group	£63.00
For-profit education group	£189.00

Payment for Education Group Access Passes must currently be made through the Supporter Services Centre via an approved debit or credit card, cheque, BACS or bank transfer. We can't issue invoices for access passes at the moment, and you won't be able to apply for them at the places in our care.

For each subscription paid, you'll receive one access pass for your school or organisation. If your school or organisation regularly runs multiple trips to different National Trust places at the same time, each visiting group would require their own Education Group Access Pass. You can buy any subsequent passes for your group at the same price as the first pass, and each pass would have its own start and end date.

Education Group Access Passes don't automatically renew and currently can't be renewed before the group's existing pass expires. When the pass expires (one year after purchase) you can contact the Supporter Services Centre to re-apply.

How to book a visit with an Education Group Access Pass

All group visits should be booked at least seven days in advance to make sure that the place has capacity to welcome the group and meet their needs. Some places may need more than seven days' notice, so please contact them at the earliest opportunity. Staff have the right to refuse admission to groups that haven't booked in advance.

EGAP holders receive free entry to National Trust places during published opening times. For all EGAP groups (other than home-educating groups), this includes weekends, bank holidays and school holidays, so long as this complies with the specific place’s group admission policy. Groups should check with individual places for any local restrictions, or where any out-of-hours visits may be permitted (such as overnight stays at eligible places).

The group should make direct contact with the place they're planning to visit. You can find contact information online and in the National Trust Handbook.

Group leaders can make a free, preparatory visit to a place for planning purposes. You must book these visits in advance, and any accompanying adults or children are subject to normal admission rates.

Additional educational services and activities

Many places have additional charges for offers beyond entry, such as access to self-led resources or facilitated sessions. This is different to paying for the Education Group Access Pass.

At the moment, payment for educational services and activities can be taken via a till at the place on the date of the visit via cash, card or cheque (depending on the capability at the specific place). Please check with the place at the time of booking.

If necessary, if the group has a registered account with the National Trust, an invoice may be raised by the place for any additional activities or educational services if the group leader isn't able to pay on the day.

Pre-visit information for group organisers and teachers

If needed, National Trust places will send pre-booked groups:

property specific risk assessments which relate to their visit
a link to our Safeguarding Statement
details of the terms and conditions of their Education Group Access Pass (if applicable), including group supervision ratios.

Group organisers are also responsible for:

securing the right permissions from parents or guardians etc.
making sure their group follows health and safety procedures during the visit
providing evidence that they have public liability insurance with a minimum £5m indemnity limit in place for when they visit. There's a minimum of £10m for highest risk activities such as coasteering or air ballooning.

Groups can provide evidence by sharing a letter from their insurance provider or broker stating that sufficient cover is in place. Please share this with the place you're visiting, preferably at the time of booking a visit. The letter doesn't have to be addressed specifically to the National Trust and can be a ‘To whom it may concern’ letter. This doesn’t apply to home-educating groups when parents are visiting solely with their own children.

Verbal confirmation of insurance won't be accepted as evidence of cover.

Terms, conditions and FAQs

Education Group Access Passes (EGAP) are available to eligible groups whose students or members are in full-time or early years education. Commercial companies without a specific or core focus on education aren’t eligible to hold the EGAP. The National Trust reserves the right to make the final decision on whether a group falls within the definitions of the respective EGAP categories.

EGAP holders receive free entry to National Trust places during published opening times. For all EGAP groups (other than home-educating groups), this includes weekends, bank holidays and school holidays, so long as this complies with the specific place’s group admission policy. Groups should check with individual places for any local restrictions, or where any out-of-hours visits may be permitted (such as overnight stays at eligible places).

Home-educating EGAP holders are entitled to use their pass during normal school hours in term time only. A maximum of two parents/guardians may enter on one home educator’s pass.

All group visits must be booked in advance directly with the place (with at least seven days’ notice). A small number of the places may require booking further in advance of seven days due to capacity and resource, so we advise booking as far ahead as possible. Bookings by home educators are not required unless the property requires booking for all visitors.

Group leaders may make a free, preparatory visit to a place for planning purposes. These visits must be booked in advance and any accompanying adults or children are subject to normal admission rates.

For legal protection, all education groups must provide evidence that they have public liability insurance with a minimum £5m indemnity limit in place for when they visit. This can be evidenced by the group sharing a letter from their insurance provider or broker stating that sufficient cover is in place. This should be shared with the place the group is visiting. This letter doesn’t have to be addressed specifically to the National Trust and can be a ‘To whom it may concern’ letter. This evidence should be provided at the time of booking a visit. This doesn’t apply to home-educating groups when parents are visiting solely with their own children.

For the highest risk activities, such as coasteering or air ballooning, a minimum £10m indemnity limit must be in place.

Group leaders should present a valid EGAP when visiting to guarantee entry and avoid normal admission fees being charged.

EGAP holders must show the original pass. Photocopies of the pass aren’t acceptable.

An EGAP entitles the holder to free admission only and not to free use of the National Trust’s educational services – where extra education activities are offered by a place, additional charges may apply and payment must be made directly to the place that is being visited.
What if the Education Group Access Pass hasn't arrived in time for the first visit?

If an Education Group Access Pass is taken out but the physical pass hasn't arrived in time for the group's first visit, groups should quote their pass number to the National Trust place that they're visiting. You can ask the Supporter Services Centre for the pass number at the time of purchase or at any time before the visit.

The group's pass has been lost or is not with the group. What should I do?

At the moment, all Education Group Access Passes are printed and we can't issue replacements. If the access pass is lost, the group should call the Supporter Services Centre to check that the access pass is valid and note the pass number.

What are the group supervision ratios?

As set out in our safeguarding code, we recommend having at least two adults present when working with, or supervising, children and young people to support any needs, such as going to the toilet or accidental group separation. Please add at least one adult to these group supervision ratios:

4–8 years: one adult to eight children

9–12 years: one adult to ten children

13–18 years: one adult to fifteen children

Places have added discretion to increase the ratios based on any additional risk at the site, such as if the place has a body of fast-flowing water.