'Blended' learning is designed primarily for experienced amateurs and for working horticulturists who wanted to have their abilities recognised with an RHS qualification, but who cannot attend a regular class close to home. 

It combines regular distance learning using weekly idents, online notes, videos and presentations; practice at home; and blocks of practical teaching to prepare for practical assessment sessions (PCAs) by an RHS examiner.

A pilot will be delivered in 2024-25 for the new RHS Level 2 Practical qualification: because the assessment dates have only just been agreed with the RHS, there is a short window in which this course can be joined in 2024. Booking will be open until the end of October. 

It will consist of two blocks of practical tuition and work at our centre at Ryton Gardens, Ryton-on-Dunsmore near Coventry.

17-20 February: assessment Saturday 22 February 

26-28 May: assessment Saturday 31 May.

These practical tuition days are designed to perfect your skills, correct any poor techniques and also to give you a chance to practise any tasks which are not easy to cover or resource at home ( e.g. assessing soil using a profile pit and also using pH and EC meters) culminating in a 'mock' , working against the clock under assessment conditions. On Friday the centre will make preparations with the RHS for your two-hour PCA assessment on the Saturday.

There is also a 75-minute online examination which is taken at home, on 20 June.  The online notes (broken up into weekly task groups with self-test quizzes) will prepare learners for this.

For full details please see the course information page.

Level 3 Practical was taught for the first time in 2023-4 is assessed by a single Practical Competence Assessment, plus  a separate 'professional discussion' and an online examination.  If Level 2 runs successfully as 'blended learning' in 2024-25, we hope to have complete materials ready for Level 3 for the following year.