If you are looking for a farm in your area to host a school visit please get in touch with the Manx NFU office who can help facilitate this by putting you in touch with the right farm in the right place that meets the needs of your learning requirements.
Currently some farms charge a nominal fee to cover the labour costs of a school visits but this will change with the introduction of a scheme from DEFA in early 2021 which will help farms cover the costs of hosting a school visit.
Types of farm;
- dairy
- mixed livestock
- sheep
- beef
- hill farming
- vegetables
- arable and cereal (wheat, barley, oats etc)
- greenhouses – horticulture
All farms have environmental areas for carbon sequestration and GHG emissions reduction as well as areas set aside for trees and wildlife. Some farms also have areas of special scientific interest on them (ASSI’s) which have been recognised internationally.
For All Farm Visits
It is essential that teachers make a pre-visit if they have not been before, when risk assessment can be carried out and the visit content and potential for follow up work can be discussed.
Whilst having fun is part of any trip, as a teacher you also need to be thinking about what you want your class to take away from the experience. A clear set of learning objectives will make sure your children do not miss out on getting the most from their time at the farm, while also making your job of follow-up work when you are back in the classroom much easier.
Farming
A farm visit will allow pupils to better understand the ways in which farms operate, but there are many additional topics and subjects that you can build upon to make the most of your time. Some of the more popular topics that schools choose to study while visiting a farm include the life cycles of plants and animals, the farm through the seasons, our relationship with the foods we eat, and food miles.
As well as providing our food, farms and farmers are custodians of the countryside, and play a very important role in the management of our country’s land and natural resources.
Topics you may choose to study include countryside management, sustainable development, diversification, economies, politics of agriculture and of course Biosphere https://www.biosphere.im
Manx NFU office;
- office@manx-nfu.org
- 662204
We also recommend using the resources available free of charge from the NFU in England and Wales.
Welcome to NFU Education
As a small team of former teachers, we understand the challenges faced by the profession so all our resources and initiatives have been designed with three main goals in mind:
- To save teachers time and reduce workload
- To spark learners’ passion and enthusiasm for STEM subjects
- To convey important messages about food, farming and nutrition through a cross-curricular, project-based approach
Browse our site to find high quality primary STEM teaching resources and projects that are closely linked to the National Curriculum.
