Next up in our features series we have the Goodwood Education Trust, headed up by the brilliant Catherine Cannon. The Goodwood Education Trust connects children and young people with nature, offering farm-visits and woodland activity days, specialising in supporting those who face barriers in spending time outside.
We caught up with Catherine ahead of the Good Food Fortnight –
We’re excited to be hosting a CPD workshop for primary and secondary school staff, on Tuesday 30th September, to learn more about food and farming, both in the curriculum and thinking about careers. The drop-in session will include a tour of our facilities, a mini-farm tour, the chance to meet the cows, try some milk and sample the cheese, look at resources available and book a trip including free trips / places for eligible schools.
The Goodwood Education Trust has been helping children learn about food and farming for almost 50 years! It’s incredibly important for children to make those connections between what we grow / rear and the food on their plate, to consider the benefits of organic farming, and to think about career and work opportunities in agriculture.
We’d love to welcome more schools to the farm, so it’s letting teachers know we are here and what we can offer.
We know there are lots of barriers to getting children outside, so we’ve got funding for free trips for eligible schools, we can offer support with coach funding, we’ve got wellies to lend, and really friendly cows.
The Education Trust hosts farm visits for schools all year round and we’ve often space through autumn / winter. People don’t necessarily think about visiting a farm then, but we’ve under-floor heating in our Education Centre, the cows are inside so closer to get to, and we have really early lambing to observe – there’s so much to see. We’re CEVAS accredited (Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme) for safe farm visits, and we’re holders of the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, so teachers can be reassured of a high quality impactful visit. To support us, follow us on social media, or if you can spare a donation, you can support us financially here.
We’d love to see all schools giving their students the opportunity to experience a farm visit, and we’re doing our best to ensure as many local schools as possible can make this happen. It’s important for curriculum links and also for mental and physical health, spending time outside in the countryside.
