Termtime only. Friday to Friday residential stays.
We have three very beautiful and very different working farms, Wick Court in Gloustershire, Nethercott House in Devon and Treginnis Isaf in Wales, where childre from urban or deprived areas can stay and learn about farming and food.
Children work in teams, with animals, outdoors and away from home. The weeks activities give children who struggle academically or socially a chance to shine alongside their peers.
Depending on the farm, the jobs include feeding, grooming, mucking out the animals and a range of seasonal farm jobs. Other activities can include nature walk, cooking and working with artists and makers.
mainly 9 - 11, but some secondary schools do visit.
The farms run a carefully supervised schedule, the groups are split into three and have an early rise to work on the farm at 7:30am, feeding the animals, letting them our into the field, in for breakfast, cleaning the yard, working with artists, nature walk, lunch free time, watching the milking, mucking out, feeding and putting the animals away for the night. This is just a samll part of the jobs which can include lambing/calving, working in the vegetable garden, cooking, grooming, the list is endless.
Wellies and waterproofs
To run the weeks we really require a full quota of 36 - 40 children to 4 - 5 teachers/responsible adults.
all the farms have full up to date risk assessments
We don't as a rule, but we have offered teachers weekends in the past and the opportunity to come and look around
Three meals are provided every day using produce from the farms or locally sourced as much as possible.
No sweets/crisps etc are allowed.
Once a week we offer the children the opportunity to buy goods from our shop.
Wellies and waterproofs
Yes, fully trained first aiders
We always ask pemission from the schools before photos are taken and if they are to used for promotional purposes.
Each of the farms has a library, games room and quiet room. There is also a classroom space for teachers if they wish, which have a range of related topics lnking to the national curriculum