Getting your farm or food organisation involved
Do you want to help reconnect children with the food they eat? There are lots of ways you can support the
Year – from supplying the school with a growing kit or offering hands-on advice to opening up your farm or
business to schools. You can run your own activity or you could get involved in a national or regional
initiative. You’ll find lots of details about these on the Megamap.
Whether you already offer activities to schools or if you’d like to do so for the first time, register
now for your Space on the Megamap. There are a number of things that you should consider before submitting
your offer. These include:
- The offer to schools must be of clear and genuine educational value. The target age group
and subject must be defined, and the content of the offer made clear to participants in advance.
- Any costs associated with the offer must be communicated clearly and agreed in advance.
- The organisation involved must comply with the relevant health and safety standards.
- Those working with schools must also follow DCSF guidelines.
Some common questions
What do I need to know to host farm visits?
If you are a farmer new to hosting school visits, you can find help and advice by contacting Farming &
Countryside Education (FACE) on 024 7685 8261. FACE will be able to suggest sources of support including
curriculum materials, case studies, practical advice and even training courses.
Whether you wish to offer one visit to your local school or to accommodate many children during the year,
FACE will be able to suggest the best way forward.
If you’re a farmer or a grower making an offer to schools, you can also find support in ensuring that visits
are safe and worthwhile from CEVAS, the Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme:
www.face-online.org.uk/cevas/.
Do I need to be CRB checked to visit a school?
No, the requirement is that the school must ensure that a CRB checked adult (e.g. the teacher) is
present when you are with the pupils. If you plan to work with schools on a regular basis it might
be worth considering going through the process.
Can I charge for an activity?
We hope that most activities, events and materials will be offered to schools free of charge.
If necessary, organisations can charge a reasonable fee, but they must not use the Year for commercial gain.