Opening Dates

Term time

What makes this great accommodation for School groups?

Ufton Court is an educational centre for children and young people. It is run by the Ufton Court Educational Trust, a registered charity established in 2006.
The Trust aims to provide an inspiring historical home offering innovative and challenging experiences in a safe and welcoming environment. Our goal is that every visitor to Ufton Court leaves with a memorable experience that positively influences their lives.

We aim to achieve this by providing:

• programmes for schools during which the children and their teachers make Ufton Court their home and experience living in a Tudor Manor house rich in living history, with priest holes and evidence of catholic raids and escapes. The children experience many aspects of Tudor life from domestic, farming and building to banquets, dancing and archery. Their teachers are supported by staff and resources that include costumes, drama and investigative activities.

• a wide variety of challenging activities to develop personal skills that include team building, leadership skills, communication and co-operation whilst building children’s self esteem and confidence. The peaceful setting also gives children time out from noisy, action packed lifestyles and they are encouraged to take the opportunity for stillness and reflection, often for the first time in their lives.

• the children with opportunities to explore the natural world in a safe, stimulating environment. Activities might include night walks looking for bats, earth walks, wildlife and habitat investigations, exploring an ancient oak tree or simply experiencing the ‘silence’ of the woods. For the many children from urban backgrounds who visit Ufton Court, these experiences are completely new and give them a fresh understanding and insight into the world around them.

• opportunities for leaders who work with young people in innovative and exciting programmes. Ufton Court Educational Trust subsidises and promotes the programmes enabling a wide variety of youth groups including drama and arts groups, outdoor challenges and those working with disadvantaged children to use and benefit from the facilities at Ufton Court.

The children will be challenged to discover the history of the house by exploring it and looking for clues, asking questions and developing stories about the past and the inhabitants of the house. They will find old photographs, names and dates scratched onto fireplaces, secret symbols, hidden paintings and priest holes. Through their questioning and discussion they gradually start to build a meaningful picture of the past at Ufton Court.

They will experience different aspects of Tudor life as they try archery, build a wattle and daub wall, manage the herb garden or try out a range of Tudor games. They may follow a historical trail around the grounds finding out what would have been created, planted or built by the Tudors and why. They may unwrap artefacts and discuss what they may have been used for.

Role play and drama activities are also used throughout a visit. Re-creating one of the documented raids on the house is very popular. During this activity some children become Elizabeth’s soldiers and carry out a dramatic raid on the house. Other children, as the resident Perkins family, rush to hide the priest and evidence of their Catholic faith. The priest is usually found and a trial takes place with the participants having to argue their case. Also very popular are our Tudor banquets when the children dress up as Lords and Ladies and spend an evening in role, eating, talking, joking and dancing as they would have done in the past.

Children and their teachers are encouraged to feel a sense of ownership of the house. On arrival they will be met and many activities will be led by Ufton Court staff. By the evening they will have the house to themselves and this allows children time and space to experience the house further and in a more personal way. They often leave with a sense of belonging and pride in the house and their knowledge about it which is demonstrated when they return for Open Day and show their families around their Ufton Court.

Property Description

• A timber-framed Tudor house incorporating an earlier medieval manor house, containing priest holes and hidden wall panels.
• A magnificent Tithe Barn for evening banquets and range of outbuildings.
• Set in 16 acres of beautiful grounds, surrounded by private woodland giving ample space for games and outside activities. Grounds include a Tudor herb garden and medieval fishponds.
• 7 dormitory bedrooms for a maximum of 39 pupils.
• 3 staff bedrooms.
• Separate dining room.
• 3 teaching rooms including the Great Hall.
• Fully catered in a family atmosphere – 3 meals daily comprising nutritious home cooked food.
• Special diets catered for.

Disabled facilities:

As we are a Grade I listed building some parts are difficult to access for wheel chair users but on the Ground Floor we have bedroom and bathroom easily accessible along with the main rooms of the house and the dining room. Our grounds include a Tudor Herb garden with disabled access friendly paths.

Catering:

• Fully catered in a family atmosphere – 3 meals daily comprising nutritious home cooked food.
• Special diets catered for.

Bedrooms:

10 bedrooms, 7 for children and 3 rooms for adults. The House has 3 separate sleeping areas with an adult room in each wing. Some rooms are en-suite and some bedrooms have bunk beds.

Linen:

All linen is provided.

Projector etc:

Projector and screen are available on request

TV and Music Facilities:

TV and DVD player are available on request

Heating:

The house has central heating with an open fire being lit for schools staying in the winter term.

Parking:

Ufton has ample car park space

Activities available on and off site:

At Ufton Court learning comes vividly to life as children explore this rich source of historical, environmental and outdoor learning opportunities. Ufton Court is a flexible resource and schools, helped by the experienced teaching staff at Ufton, tailor a programme to meet their specific requirements. Visiting schools have exclusive use of the house at night. Residential visits can be from one to four nights long.
A broad choice of activities is available. Using our resources, which are linked to the National Curriculum, enthusiastic and experienced staff will help you to design a programme that will meet your needs.

Come and use our outstanding facilities to challenge your pupils to delve deeper into the following subjects:

• History
• Geography
• Science
• Art
• Team Building & Adventurous Activities

History

• Hands on history – wattle & daub and wattle hurdling, brass rubbing.
• Investigate priest holes and hidden Tudor panels
• Follow history trails
• Try on Tudor costumes
• Dance the pavane
• Enjoy a Tudor feast
• Get in role for our grounds and house tours led by members of the Tudor household

Geography and Environmental Studies

• Investigate the local area using old and new maps and aerial photographs
• Study settlements including medieval moated manors
• Walk to Ufton Nervet to experience different localities
• John Muir Discovery Award www.jmt.org/john-muir-award.asp
• Skywalking
• Colour dabs
• Stream and pond dipping
• Prickly / tickly tests
• Silent spot

Science
The Secret Garden of Ufton

Investigate the variety of animals and plants at Ufton Court
Activities you could choose from:

• Explore and compare different areas identifying animals and plants
• Take a tree trail
• Go on a minibeast hunt
• How are plants and animals adapted to their surroundings?

Ufton Safari

Spend a day in the woods to find out exactly what goes on there!
Activities you could choose from:

• Take a woodland walk
• Walk on the wild side to get closer to the natural world
• Discover and explore animal life in the stream
• Tour the minibeast safari
• Make a journey stick of items along a trail

Everybody Needs A Home

Location, location, location! The creatures of Ufton need a home. Become an estate agent for the day and help the animals find a home.

Activities you could choose from:

• Meet the animals and look at how they have adapted to their environment
• Tour the neighbourhood looking at suggested habitats
• Report on the best location
• Find a suitable alternative in case the housing market crashes!

Teddy Bears Picnic

Enjoy a magical adventure for you and your teddy under the direction of Ufton Court’s Chief Teddy Bear. Take part in hands-on imaginative activities and games designed to:

• encourage an understanding of living things’ requirements for survival
• care for the environment and the living things in it and
• explore the environment using the senses.

These provide the knowledge, skills and understanding for the children to be able to create a home for their teddies in the wild and become fully trained TBGs (Teddy Bear Guardians).

Art
Hunter Gatherer

Explore and collect the colour, shape and texture of the natural world
Activities you could choose from:

• collect and create an artist’s paint palette using natural objects
• discover nature’s paints such as plant juices, dyes and mud.
• raid our woodlands to create a giant collage
• look at artists inspired by nature, such as William Morris and Matisse, and create your own wild versions

What is Sculpture?

Explore 3 dimensional natural shapes – their textures, colours, shapes and form
Activities you could choose from:

• explore our amazing natural sculptures, gather materials to make animal or hanging sculptures
• gather natural materials from different areas of the grounds and weave together to create unique Ufton Court ‘cloth’, sculptures or bugs.
• Be inspired by Andy Goldsworthy to search our grounds to create ‘Uftonworthy’ sculptures.

Get-in the Picture
Discover, explore and create your very own Tudor portraits:

• View Tudor portraits up close
• Discover the stories behind the pictures
• Use our costumes and artefacts to create your own physical Tudor art.

Outdoor & Adventurous Activities:

• Photomapping
• Orienteering
• Team building games
• Archery
• Canoeing and rafting (using The Outdoor Academy, who are based on Site at Ufton Court)
• Forest Skills