RHS School of Horticulture

RHS School of Horticulture
Name	RHS School of Horticulture
Established	2009
Type	Specialist vocational college
Parent	Royal Horticultural Society
Location	Wisley, Surrey, United Kingdom
Campus	RHS Garden Wisley

RHS School of Horticulture The RHS School of Horticulture is a specialist training centre founded by the Royal Horticultural Society at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey. It delivers practical and theoretical programmes linked to national qualifications and professional standards, engaging with organisations such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, University of Reading, City and Guilds, Land-based Learning UK, and Chartered Institute of Horticulture. The School supports career pathways into roles featured by institutions including the National Trust, English Heritage, Royal Parks (London), and major international botanical collections.

History

The School was established amid developments involving the Royal Horticultural Society and its estate strategy for RHS Garden Wisley following consultations with bodies such as Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, DEFRA, and regional authorities. Early collaborations referenced precedents set by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and partnership models used by University of Bristol extension programmes and Writtle University College. The founding phase attracted attention from sector funders including the Prince's Trust, trustees linked to the National Trust, and advisers from the Royal Society and Institute of Horticulture; it evolved through curriculum validation with awarding organisations such as City and Guilds and academic links with University of Greenwich and University of Sunderland.

Campus and Facilities

Situated within RHS Garden Wisley, the campus utilises display gardens, glasshouses and propagation houses influenced by collections at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the conservatories of Chelsea Physic Garden, and the historic landscapes of Kew Palace and Hampton Court Palace. Facilities include demonstration beds modelled on projects from Royal Parks (London), a propagation unit employing techniques taught at Kew Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, and workshops equipped to standards seen at English Heritage conservation sites. The School's library and herbarium draw on networks with Natural History Museum, London, the archives of the Royal Horticultural Society, and exchange links with the Bodleian Library and Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

Courses and Accreditation

Programmes are validated by awarding bodies such as City and Guilds, linked to United Kingdom frameworks referenced by Ofqual and informed by employer standards promoted by Landscape Institute and Chartered Institute of Horticulture. Course offerings range from vocational certificates similar to those delivered by Writtle University College and Capel Manor College to bespoke professional short courses that mirror CPD routes used by staff at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and trainee schemes at Royal Parks (London). The School has delivered apprenticeships aligning with standards endorsed by Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and works with funding partners akin to Higher Education Funding Council for England andSkills Funding Agency for pathway development.

Research and Horticultural Practice

Applied research at the School interfaces with research programmes at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, projects funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, and conservation initiatives connected to the Kew Millennium Seed Bank Partnership. Practical trials follow protocols from bodies such as Royal Horticultural Society committees, collaborating with plant health networks including Food and Environment Research Agency and collections management practised at Natural History Museum, London. Topics have included propagation techniques used at Chelsea Flower Show displays, pest management studies aligned with Defra advisory frameworks, and trialling cultivars in partnership with breeders represented by the Royal Horticultural Society Plant Trials and horticultural enterprises similar to Thompson & Morgan and Sarah Raven's operations.

Notable Alumni and Staff

Staff and graduates have moved into roles with prominent institutions and individuals, taking positions at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the National Trust, Royal Horticultural Society gardens, and in private practice linked to designers who have exhibited at Chelsea Flower Show and events organized by RHS Chelsea Flower Show and RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Alumni have joined teams at English Heritage, Royal Parks (London), and firms that collaborate with figures such as Piet Oudolf-affiliated projects, nurseries like Poomseeda-style operations, and consultancies engaged with clients including municipal bodies exemplified by City of London Corporation and estates akin to Highgrove House management.

Outreach and Partnerships

The School maintains partnerships with educational and conservation organisations including Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, local colleges such as Brooklands College and Spelthorne College models, and national bodies like National Trust and English Heritage. Outreach includes community programmes that mirror initiatives by Prince's Trust, volunteer schemes in cooperation with RHS Volunteers, and CPD events co-hosted with professional bodies such as Chartered Institute of Horticulture, Landscape Institute, and stakeholders from the horticultural trade association network. International links echo exchanges with institutions like Jardín Botánico de Bogotá, Botanical Garden of Barcelona, and partners in networks represented at forums such as the International Association of Botanic Gardens.

Category:Royal Horticultural Society Category:Horticulture schools