Update: September 2026
New school visit enquiries are currently closed and will reopen for new bookings in January 2027. If you’ve already booked with us, don’t worry, we’re still excited to welcome you.
For enquiries, please contact: SchoolVisits@pizzaexpress.com. Our restaurants cannot make or manage school visit bookings directly.
Overview
For more than 25 years, PizzaExpress has been welcoming school children into our pizzerias to learn about fresh ingredients, food preparation, teamwork and the joy of making pizza. What started in 1999 with a single school visit has grown into a programme that has hosted over 25,000 educational visits across the UK.
Our School Visits provide a fun, hands-on learning experience where children can get involved in pizza-making while learning about food hygiene, kitchen safety and fresh ingredients.
School visits take place during term time only and are hosted in the mornings before the restaurant opens to the public.
What's Included?
Each School Visit costs £7.50 per child and includes:
- A pizza-making session led by one of our expert pizzaiolos
- Hands-on dough kneading and pizza preparation
- An ingredient tasting session and educational discussion about fresh food
- A food safety and kitchen hygiene briefing
- An interactive ingredients quiz
- A personalised Junior Pizzaiolo Certificate
- Their very own handmade pizza to take back to school and enjoy for lunch
What to Expect on the Day
9:30am – Welcome
Your class will arrive at the pizzeria and be welcomed by the Restaurant Manager and team.
9:45am – Kitchen Safety Briefing
Before cooking begins, the team will cover important kitchen rules, including handwashing, food hygiene and staying safe in a working kitchen environment.
10:00am – Pizza Making Begins
Our pizzaiolo will demonstrate how to create a classic PizzaExpress Margherita pizza.
Each child will:
- Knead and shape their own dough
- Learn about the importance of fresh ingredients
- Add passata, mozzarella and basil to their pizza
- Prepare their pizza ready for baking
This part of the visit typically takes around 30 minutes.
10:30am – Ingredients Quiz
While the pizzas are baking, children will participate in an interactive ingredients quiz where they can taste different ingredients and learn more about where food comes from.
10:45am – Pizza Collection
Freshly baked pizzas come out of the oven ready to take back to school for lunch.
Each child will also receive a personalised Junior Pizzaiolo Certificate to celebrate their achievement.
11:00am – End of Visit
The visit concludes and the class returns to school.
Booking Information
Please note:
- Visits are available during term time only.
- Pizzerias can typically accommodate one school visit per week.
- Visits must include a minimum of 10 children and a maximum of 30 children.
- Booking slots open on the 1st of each month on a 12-month rolling basis.
- Child-to-adult ratios can be found within the risk assessment documentation.
Cost and Payment
From 1 October 2025, School Visits cost £7.50 per child.
We have introduced this charge to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the programme as operating costs continue to rise. We remain committed to supporting schools and have worked hard to keep the cost as low as possible while continuing to provide the full PizzaExpress experience.
Following the visit:
- An invoice will be issued by our Finance Team.
- Payment is required within 14 days of the invoice date.
Risk Assessments and Additional Information
Full details about the programme, including risk assessments and guidance for teachers, can be found on our School Visits page:
How to Book
To book a School Visit, please complete the online booking form:
We look forward to welcoming your class or home educational group to PizzaExpress for a fun and educational pizza-making experience. 🍕