Education on the Farm

An Introduction from our Education Manager

“We are very proud of the education that we provide on the farm. From primary school educational visits to bespoke primary, secondary and post-16 courses and qualifications delivered, we are helping to create confident young people who we hope will become the farmers and agricultural workers of the future.”

Sara-Jane Hancock, Education Manager

Primary, Secondary and Post-16 Education

Download our Education Brochure

Education is at the heart of what we do on the farm.

Young people of all ages benefit from the time they spend learning about all aspects of farming and the countryside.

We have been successfully providing alternative educational provision on the farm for nearly 10 years. We have particular success with pupils who:

are keen to pursue careers working on the land or in the farming industry
are more difficult to reach and who are not thriving in the school environment
have learning or behavioural issues
have autism or Aspergers
are non-attenders
are home-educated

All young people benefit enormously from spending time on the farm each week. Working with animals and being outdoors gives pupils a sense of responsibility and increases their confidence and self-esteem. Their team-working and social skills are improved and this is reported to translate to a more positive experience when they are back in the school or college environment.

For more information of our bespoke Primary, Secondary, Home Education and Post-16 Education on the farm, please download our Education Brochure and contact Sara-Jane Hancock, our Education Manager shancock@riverbournecommunityfarm.org.uk

Download our Education Brochure

TESTIMONIAL

"Prior to my son being offered the provision of the farming course, he was reluctant to attend school and participate in lessons, feeling that he had little worth or value as he was struggling to keep up with the learning and therefore acted out and spent a lot of time in isolation. Since attending the farm he feels confident and has regained his self-esteem and this has been reflected in his behaviour and engagement during lessons which can be evidence by his attainment points and lack of isolation!

The farm has been instrumental in broadening his understanding of the importance of education and how you apply this in day to day living, such as knowing how to measure the correct length of wood to fix a fence etc. The farm has given him the motivation to think about his future and allow him to try new skills before embarking on further education in an avenue that he has not previously consider. As a result of the farm course, he is looking to apply to Sparsholt for either a level 2 agriculture qualification or a level 3 apprenticeship as a crop technician.

I truly believe that without this intervention he would have been permanently excluded from school with very little hope of being able to secure an appropriate College placement."

Parent of past year 11 student

Term Dates

Term Dates 2023 - 2024

Home Education

Pupils who are home-educated are welcome to join our current primary and secondary sessions.

However, we do not receive any government funding for providing our education sessions and so there is a fee payable, invoiced termly.

Please email education@riverbournecommunityfarm.org.uk
for more information and availability.

Organised School Visits

We offer FREE educational farm tours for primary and secondary schools and nursery groups.

These visits are usually for around two hours and are led by our volunteer Farm Leaders. If you want us to cover a particular area of the curriculum please let us know and we will do our best to apply this to your tour.

To book an educational visit please email the farm office.

"A great opportunity to inspire young people to develop a love of practical outdoor work"

Wiltshire Council SEND Worker