Primary Alternative Provision

At the farm we offer children between 7 and 11 an alternative environment in which to build their identity and understand the world around them. These early interventions offer children struggling to engage with or excluded from mainstream primary education tailored, individual support to overcome their barriers to learning.

 

We have seen students make impressive progress in their home and school life; gradually reintegrating into their classrooms, acquiring transferable maths, literacy and science skills and being better able to appropriately engage with their peers and adults.

 

Our curriculum is centred on the development of social and emotional skills:

• self-awareness

• social awareness

• self-regulation

 

 

To enable this, students are given significantly freedom to explore, make mistakes, and express themselves, all within limits promoting safety and kindness for ourselves, others and our animals. We have a regular routine including forest schools and farm-based responsibilities which allow children to build social skills, independence and experience their positive impact on their surroundings.

 

Since beginning in October 2020 with just one student we now have 12 places available. We run small groups of up to 4 students on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday through term time.

 

Our diverse site, including a purpose-built treehouse classroom and woodland area, allows us to offer a multitude of bushcraft activities, sensory experiences, imaginative play, animal care tasks, reading and discussing stories, gardening and cooking. Tutors will prepare and introduce topics of interest inspired by seasonal changes or happenings on the farm yet we are very much child-led in the direction each session takes. As the farm is publicly accessible all students must be accompanied by an adult, usually a Teaching Assistant from school, in order to maintain their safety.