School Farms - your experiences please

[sophy]

Does anyone's DC have access to a School Farm?

I am hoping to set one up to serve a number of local schools using some council-owned land, and would love to hear others' experience of them.

What's good? What isn't?

How much curriculum time is devoted to them, and does it span the whole curriculum?

Would be particularly interested in hearing from teachers who may have been involved in such projects.

All input gratefully received!

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I can't be of much help except to say my DH went to a state high school in rural Australia where they had a fully functional, working farm on site! Complete with animals, fields, tractors! Where they taught animal husbandry- and how to lay a line of fencing- to 14 year olds, largely the sons of local landowners, of course...! I was very impressed.

I guess I'd be interested in knowing what you meant by 'farm'- a place with permanent caretaking staff and animals? An arable farm where DCs see crops being grown? Would it be a place for DCs to come armed with their clipboards and pens and hang over fences watching 'an expert' do a job (feeding a lamb, etc) or a place where the DCs turn up in wellies and overalls? What age groups?

What I have in mind is a smallholding (only have 7-acre field, plus possibility of some extra land for grazing) where we would grow some crops and vegetables and keep some livestock -- chickens, pigs, goats, some sheep.

All the local schools would have access to it, primary and secondary, and they could get hands-on experience of producing their own food.

There would probably be a building on the site which could be used as a classroom or for other activities.

I would see if the county council can fund a tecahing position to work there full time and liase with all the schools who decide to join the scheme.

There would probably be a farm manager as well.

The idea would not be to use it to teach agricultural skills, but rather to cut across all areas of curriculum -- history, geography, science etc.

It would be developed in close consultation with local schools -- the idea is not to be too prescriptive about the format but to let it develop according to how they see their needs.

no experience of this and am not a teacher but I think it sounds a fantastic idea and I hope you do it!!

My ds would love this. The more opportunities to get learning outside of the classroom, the better IMO.

You could have a 'historical' area - a herb/veggie garden that is a replica of what would have existed in the past.....a war-time 'dig for victory' plot.......

oo it sounds great!

Those are great ideas HG -- thanks!

sounds a great idea

do you own the land? what was it used for before?

Our local Secondary school used to have a farm - but ended up ditching the large animals and selling the land after the last two foot and mouth outbreaks. Trying to manage biosecurity on a site with over 2000 people coming and going was a nightmare....
They still have small animals, chickens, ducks, bees and offer a BTEC first certificate in small animal management (or some such)

Amphibimum, council owns the land, currently lovely green field used for grazing cattle but is designated for employment so could have industrial estate built on it. So that is why I would prefer it to be used for a community project.

Donk, does your local secondary school use it just for agriculture-related learning, or for more general curriculum.

Its part of the very wide curriculum the school offers to (generally) less academic students. Its just used for the BTEC first certificate students (as I understand it). They also have a polytunnel.(I can see the tomato plants from the science prep room). Sorry I can't be much help really...

Best of luck, Sophy- hope you can get it up and running- it sounds very worthwhile and something I'd like MY DSs to have access to!

I've just been on a Forest School Skills course - are there any trees on the field?

Because it is a really great way of learning

our school has a farm, All KS3 pupils have 1 lesson a fortnight (I think) of ag & hort. This can be studied up to GCSE. We have pigs, cows, sheep....plus a nursery where fruit, veg & plants are grown & sold. Most of the veg & some of the meat is used in school canteen. We own the land. There are 4 classrooms plus a shop open to the public. There are 3 full time teachers I think plus a farm manager (who doesn't teach).

I think it is a wonderful additon to our school. sometimes I go into staffrm and there is fruit & veg & eggs for sale. Love it!

What part of the country are you in chocshoes?

Lancashire Sophy. Our school used to be an orphanage & so the farm was for that but we have kept it. Seems strange in a v large successful comp but it works!

My senior school had (and still has) a working farm, but like Donks it offered training mostly to less academic children. I remember visiting it when I started and don't think I ever set foot in it from then on

It does tend to be the less academic who do ARural Science GCSE but all pupils at KS3 have to do Ag & Hort. I remember covering a lesson on cow pats once!