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There is widespread concern that children are becoming disassociated with their understanding of where their food comes from.
Here at Upton we offer farm visits to local schools and groups in an attempt to promote a better understanding and appreciation of agriculture, the countryside and rural affairs. We want to share with children and groups what we do, why we do it and why farming matters.
Upton Farm recently received full accreditation to host schools visits under the Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme (CEVAS). The scheme provides us with guidance and expertise to ensure that you are provided with a safe and worthwhile visit to our farm. Since the introduction of the scheme Upton Estate is becoming an increasingly popular destination for school trips and farm educational tours.
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Learning opportunities
The countryside offers an invaluable teaching resource and there are many ways in which farming and food can enrich the curriculum. Farm visits to Upton can be tailored to fit the curricular aims and objectives that need to be met.
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Upton Farm has a wide range of areas within its outdoor classroom to achieve these curriculum aims;
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- Woodland e.g. tree studies
- Parkland & viewpoint e.g. landscape studies
- Flower meadows & field margins e.g. flora & fauna identification
- Pond & streams e.g. pond dipping
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A typical visit at Upton……...
We begin with the group being welcomed and shown to our new fully equipped training centre. Everyone is seated on chairs for an introductory talk/ power point presentation along with reminders about the country side code of practice and a health and safety brief.
We then quickly move outdoors - most groups choose to do a farm walk. We have a selection of routes for you to choose from depending on the nature of your visit, e.g. your visit may be focusing on one habitat in particular, you might want a general overview of how Conservation Grade farming works or on the other hand you may just want a simple broad overview of farming and how it all operates here at Upton farm.
After the walk, we return to the training centre and break for lunch. The training centre has both indoor and outdoor facilities, so depending on the weather you can choose where to have your lunch. We provide the facilities and the choice is yours.
After lunch we then usually try to squeeze in another activity e.g. Bumblebee/butterfly identification but again this is largely dependent on the nature of your visit.
For more information on visiting Upton farm please click contact us at the top of the page. We are always open to new ideas and suggestions and are keen to help so please get in contact and we can tailor a farm visit to suit you.
Before visiting we will send you a Teachers pack which should give you some idea of the activities and resources we have to offer, to help you plan and make your visit to Upton Farm every success. |
 Tree planting & guarding in Upton's woodland |
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Here's what our previous visitors have said about us...
"Really interesting visit, beautiful farm, fantastic tour and good facilities in the meeting room."
"Pleasant, suitable facilities informative and interesting talk and an enjoyable and useful experience"
"A fantastic day, enjoyed by all - children have gone away with a fountain of knowledge and an experience they will talk about for a long time".
"Extremely informative and a great hands on experience for the children"
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