It is independent of the regional authorities and the Scottish Office Education Department but seeks advice from both where appropriate. There has been a steady expansion of the service over the past ten years and the maximum number of school students taking part has now been set at 10,000 per year. By establishing this limit it is possible for the schools education team devote a proportion of their time to developing new, curriculum-related materials and programmes, as well as ensuring that all projects achieve the highest possible standards. The current schools programme includes 12 different topics at the 5 - 14 level and four topics at Standard or Higher Grade. Recently an outreach programme has enable RBGE's education team to operate in other areas of Scotland, especially among the communities which occur in the vicinity of the Specialist Gardens.
Teacher training is another important aspect of RBGE education.
A flexible approach designed to meet the needs of individual teachers, schools, cluster groups or regional authorities means that RBGE is able to offer a very diverse range of opportunities. Although most teachers prefer to visit RBGE or one of the Specialist Gardens, to make use of their unrivalled resources for environmental education, it is also possible for members of the education team to run workshops in schools. The annual Teacher Placement Week also provides a select number of experienced teachers with a unique opportunity to work alongside RBGE scientific and horticultural staff and to learn how this world-famous institute operates from the inside.