Farm School

The Danesfield Life Skills Development Programme is tied to our values of respect and happiness, and is a natural extension of our Forest School, gardening and biodiversity work. The project encompasses developing a sustainable and safe environment to introduce animal welfare into the wider curriculum. The benefits of our Life Skills Project are multifaceted. For example, across the curriculum:

· Children directly experience the science involved in what animals need to survive.

· They develop responsibility and become active, positive citizens in society, as part of the PSHE curriculum and British values.

· They are used as hooks in English and will provide lots of mathematical uses in terms of calculating costs, food and reasoning activities.

· They provide us with many opportunities to expand our Pastoral Support work.

We started our journey with two mini pigs called Peggy and Wilma who live on site, in a self-contained area.  The children love them and caring for them has become a special part of their school life. Our hens are our newest addition and as our project develops, we hope to expand on the animals that we keep.

We have allotments to grow our own produce and teach the children about how to grow plants successfully and the benefits of developing our own food.