Fordhall Farm Education Visits
FREE visits
We offer stimulating educational experience days for groups of all ages, bringing to life many areas of the National Curriculum. We are also able to create bespoke visit activities, in line with any current topics you may be covering in class at the time.
We can currently offer one free visit per school per year subject to availability. Contact us to check if we have any available for your school.
All visits must be booked in advance and we encourage a pre-visit by group leaders.
Here are some of the many topics a visit to the farm can cover:
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- Organic farming principals - even a bit of Foggage!
- Community land ownership
- Pig rearing
- Habitat studies - streams, woodlands, wetlands, rivers, grasslands and hedgerow
- Organic sheep and cow production
- Free range chicken production
- Local history - Fordhall was one of England's first commercial yoghurt producers / Norman Ringwork and Bailey on-site
- Geographical river studies or pond/river dipping
- Food miles and local food production (in conjunction with a visit to our Farm Shop)
- Healthy eating/cooking
- Mini-beast studies
- Arts and creative crafts
- Forest school inspired sessions
Wet weather cover
If bad weather prevails we have a dry classroom, or human pig-arc for lunches. Outdoors we have a forest school area, roundhouse, a picnic area and of course, access to the fields, meadows, woodlands and ponds.
Toilets
A compost loo and conventional toilets are available, together with extensive handwashing facilities.
Accessible toilets also available.
Travel
Please click here for a list of organisations which, depending on schools meeting their criteria, could cover or subsidise your school's travel costs.
For schools in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin interested in visiting the farm before March 2025, who would like support to cover transport costs, Shropshire Good Food Partnership can help. Please contact emma@shropshiregoodfood.org
Coach parking is available on-site.
Residential visits
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We can now offer residential visits for up to 30 in our stunning eco-building The Straw Lodge.
Children can get fully immersed in nature, waking up to the sights and sounds of the farm and natural world (even the dormitories have been carefully designed so that each bunk bed has its own little window to the world!).
We can include catering options and enhanced activities packages. Please contact our residential lead Mike Grabarz to find out more.
Email: mike.grabarz@fordhallfarm.com.
DIY residential visits
Although we are unable to offer our full activity and catering packages at certain times of the year, you still have the opportunity to stay in our beautiful purpose-built Straw Lodge with access to our farm land and woodland. Self-cater and utilise our spaces for bespoke outdoor learning.
Available for 1, 2 or 3-night residentials in school holidays and weekdays from March to October. Or we have weekend-only availability between October and March.
“Once again thank you ALL SO MUCH for our fantastic, wonderful stay. There were some amazing views, across the fields of Fordhall Organic Farm. The activities with Mike kept our young people busy and inspired them to be outdoors and learn more. It was so worthwhile to see the young people engaged and enjoying themselves especially has they were SEND kids that have never been away from mom & dad (carers).”
Residential guests - All Stars Youth Club(Dudley, West Midlands).
Happy visitors
“Once again thank you ALL SO MUCH for our fantastic, wonderful stay. There were some amazing views, across the fields of Fordhall Organic Farm. The activities with Mike kept our young people busy and inspired them to be outdoors and learn more. It was so worthwhile to see the young people engaged and enjoying themselves especially has they were SEND kids that have never been away from mom & dad (carers).”
Residential guests - All Stars Youth Club (Dudley, West Midlands).
Woodland camping residentials
These visits are perfect for uniformed community groups (Scouts, Beavers, Cubs, Girl Guides) or D-of-E Expeditions.
Please note this package is not available for private groups or family visits.
This must be led by suitably accredited and insured group leaders.
Visits for interest groups
We can also cater for your local group, whether it is U3A,WI, Rotary, Natural History, Organic Gardeners or other.