New Hall Farm
The Preparatory Divisions became the home to a few chickens and rabbits some years ago. Students and staff were eager to see more animals grazing on the school fields once again and so the farm started to develop further in 2018. Now there are more than two acres devoted to a large range of species.
Curriculum
Preparatory teachers make excellent use of our farm resources for a range of curricular topics including:
- Reception – English, Little Red Hen
- Year 3 – Caring for living things
- Year 5 – English, Charlotte’s Web creative writing tasks
Co-curricular Activities
Animal Care Club runs after school for Years 3 to 6 and we have many enthusiastic members. Activities vary between both practical and theory and can include talks from external visitors such as a recent session on dog welfare and behaviour. Topics covered include the following:
- Animal welfare, husbandry, health and grooming
- Understanding and creating species appropriate enrichment
- British Wildlife
- Animal biology/Anatomy
- Food to fork talk and farming topics
Year 6 pupils have the opportunity to become an Animal Prefect: this role sees them helping to care for the animals during their lunchtimes, performing activities such as cleaning, feeding, grooming, and enriching their environment.
The Benefits
Many studies have been conducted showing the benefits that being around animals, interacting with nature, and learning outdoors have on a child’s development and wellbeing. There are many potential benefits to physical health, such as reducing stress and fatigue, whilst also helping build a healthy immune system. For many people pets and animals could greatly improve their mental wellbeing. Our animals here have already proven that they can provide retreat for children overcoming personal and mental health issues.
Confidence, relationships and resilience are also positively impacted by an animal presence, whilst some teachers have also seen improved concentration and quality of work.
