Farming partners

MCPA has become one of the first schools to sign up in partnership with local farm, Greatworth Hall and Mrs Clifton’s children were privileged to be the first class ever to be welcomed to the farm’s new Education Centre.

As a schools partner, each of our Reception classes will have three visits to the farm spread across the academic year, enabling the children to see the changes to the land, it’s work and the animals in the different seasons.

On their first visit, the children were shown various crops including oats and oil seed rape and then used the processed products to make flapjack. They met the chickens and sheep (including our new school sheep, Millie), made nature bracelets with materials they found as they walked around the various areas, planted seeds in pots and learned what to expect from them in terms of growth.

The children also learned about some of the dangers of a working farm and put out red flags wherever there could be a risk and they visited one of the drilled fields looking at the soil and finding out about the changes to expect to the arable land when they return in the Spring.

Greatworth Hall is managed by Steve and Jane Adkins and their daughter Rosie. The Education Centre is Rosie’s brainchild. As a local primary school teacher as well as farmer, she wanted to harness the possibilities of “learning outside the classroom”. The children had a great day and staff have been extremely complimentary about how well organized the activities were and how well Rosie, Jane and Steve worked with the children. Mrs Casey’s class are greatly looking forward to their visit too.

You can find out more about the farm here: www.greatworthhall.com