WINNERS!!!!
LINCOLNSHIRE SHOW
SMALL SCHOOLS CHALLENGE 2023!!
Farm Manager
Mrs Annelies Bourne is our Farm Manager. She began working at St George's Prep many years ago as a Teaching Assistant (and gained her level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification). We knew that Mrs Bourne was passionate about learning outdoors and urged her to gain a Forest School qualification - she is level 3 Forest School qualified and successfully led our sessions at school for many years. Mrs Bourne also has a wealth of experience with farm animals and has British Horse Society BHSAI qualifications enabling her to teach horse riding as well as a BTEC National Diploma and HND in equine care and management.
"Currently, we have pigs, sheep and lambs, ponies, Pygmy goats, turkeys, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs. We show our rare breed pigs at County Shows - the children participate in junior competitions with great success. We also enter environmental competitions and are 2022 Regional Winners in Primary Awards in Green Education.
As Willow Farm is a working farm, there is a responsible breeding programme in place, so our children are able to witness life cycles and the miracle of new life (and occasionally death). They also understand that our pigs and sheep are bred to enter the food chain. The children ensure that the animals are well cared for whilst they are with us. We also sell our produce - look out for boxes of eggs at the school gate - currently £1 for 1/2 dozen delicious free range eggs. We also sell pork products about three times each. year and have had wonderful feedback about the tastiness of our meat!"
Flashback to when we appeared on telly!
Miriam is the proud mummy of nine piglets, born in front of year 1 this morning!
Our pupils were interviewed about our entry for the Lincolnshire Show.
A unique offer for St George's pupils.
We are so fortunate to be able to offer this facility to our children. We believe that we are the only school in Lincolnshire (and maybe further afield) where each class spends a day on the farm once a fortnight.
We all know the response to the question, "Where do sausages (or eggs) come from?" Of course, it's Tesco (insert other supermarkets too)! If you were to ask any child at St George's Prep the same question, you would receive an in-depth answer.
Our family has already visited a farm... so, where's the learning happening?
Right away, we'd like to dispel the myth that our farm school sessions are in any way similar to a family visit to a petting farm. Yes, the children feed and muck out the animals, as this helps to develop a sense of responsibility, empathy and independence and gives children a good, physical workout. However, this is only a small part of the day. Every class has an enquiry question each term which leads the learning at the farm. For example, how can environments be improved?.....Why are teeth the way they are?.......How have farm animals evolved over time?......Why was farming important during the war?.......
But, I don't want my child to be a farmer!
Yes, we have heard this many times and completely understand that parents may have other aspirations for their children. However, when at the farm children come into contact with so many other professionals (and therefore, potential careers) who work alongside the farming industry, for example, the vet, the farrier, the feed merchant, the agronomist...the list goes on! Real and relevant learning in action! Please read on...
What if I were to tell you that the farm covers most (if not all) areas of the curriculum?
This document fully explains the learning which takes place at the farm.
Here is a letter which was sent to parents when we started farm school sessions which explains the organisation, safety and holistic benefits of outdoor learning.
See how the farm fits into our curriculum and how it covers so many subjects by reading this national environmental competition entry.
This is our Autumn Term 2023 Classroom News.
All of our children know the origins of the food that they eat and many will also be able to discuss the associated ethics. This is because all classes are involved in food production from day 1 - nurturing day old chicks to point of lay to collecting their eggs or feeding/caring for the pigs, PSHE weighing/keeping records MATHS until the pigs reach their bacon weight. This isn't all - the children are currently harvesting pumpkins and carrots from our wildlife haven. No one planted the seeds, so this has prompted lots of questions about how the vegetables started to grow in this area. This translated into incidental learning about all types of seed dispersal. SCIENCE We continue to acknowledge the first swallows to return from migration - a decades old farming practice. HISTORY Contrast this with our use of modern day technology - our classroom is equipped with IT, including a GPS weather station so that children can understand how weather influences and affects work on the farm. IT AND GEOGRAPHY
If you'd like more proof that this approach works, here is the evidence:
In November and June each year, our Key Stage 2 children sit GL Assessment papers. In November 2023, we received the following results in the Science paper:
Year 4 - 75% of children were working beyond National Expectations in Science.
Year 5 - 67% of children were working beyond National Expectations in Science.
The DfE expect that, nationally, 23% of children will reach this standard by the end of the school year - our children reached this standard in November!
Our results in English and Maths were also pretty impressive - please ask if you'd like to know more!
Other benefits of Farm School
George's Preparatory School prides itself on its holistic approach to education. In layman's terms, this means that we don't just educate the mind, we educate the whole body, the heart, the limbs and right down to the very ends of the fingertips. The mental health of our pupils is also of great importance. Our children learn how to care, to be kind and thoughtful, to use their common sense and to know what is right and wrong and why. It simply becomes second nature.
FARM SCHOOL HELPS TO DEVELOP:
- resilience & tenacity
- self confidence & self esteem
- teamwork & leadership
- understanding of one's self
- compassion and empathy
- trust
- gross and fine motor skills through the use of tools
- physical skills - core strength, dexterity, hand to eye co-ordination
- promotes mental health and wellbeing
- understanding of conservation and countryside management
Holiday Club at the farm
We also operate a Holiday Club at the farm. This is open to any child at any school in years FS2-Y6. for further details, join or message our Farm School Facebook page.
