Tate Britain and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are joining forces to launch a new learning programme for schools, backed by a 10-year funding commitment from the Clore Duffield Foundation. The programme, called Creative Ground, will be based in a new classroom within Tate Britain’s Clore Garden in central London, due to open in spring 2027.
Workshops will run free of charge for primary, secondary and SEND schools throughout term time. Teacher bookings open on 2 November 2026, with the first sessions launching in the 2027 summer term. Once up and running, the programme aims to reach more than 600 young people every month.
A separate programme of workshops for youth groups is also being developed with organisations local to Tate Britain, alongside self-guided resources so children can explore the new garden independently.
Bringing art and nature together
Creative Ground will explore what happens when art and horticulture meet in an inner London public garden. Through hands-on activities and creative exploration with plants and nature, children will be encouraged to think about climate change, stewardship, wellbeing and community.
The idea grew out of conversations with local schools and youth leaders, who raised concerns about limited access to green space, fewer creative subjects on the curriculum, and the impact of the climate emergency on young people’s mental health. Almost 400,000 children in Greater London currently attend schools with less than the recommended amount of open space per pupil, and more than half of young Londoners say spending time in green spaces is extremely important for their mental health.
The Clore Garden itself is being designed by landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith, with planting chosen in consultation with the RHS to withstand the UK’s changing climate. It will include a wildlife pond and new trees and herbaceous planting, alongside a lightweight single-storey classroom building designed by architecture studio Feilden Fowles.
Dame Vivien Duffield, Chair of the Clore Duffield Foundation, said the Garden Classroom would give schoolchildren “a place for hands-on engagement with the natural world, combining horticulture and art.” Nic Buckley, RHS Head of Learning, described it as the RHS’s first horticultural learning base in the capital in more than 120 years.
Tate is also developing new family activities for the Clore Garden and free online resources for teachers on art and nature. Bookings for schools open on 2 November 2026.
