Education in the Countryside

Getting out of the school or the town to learn is a rare treat, bringing both children and adults closer to the natural world and the place where their food comes from. Seeing a lamb being born, finding a water boatman in the pond or walking across the middle of a 25 acre field are special experiences for many children, enabling them to learn, just as much as spending a day measuring the flow and depth of the River Pang, or discovering the effect of soil type on plant growth.

School Visits

Rushall Organic Farm is an excellent place to learn about many aspects of the curriculum. We are a mixed organic farm which primarily runs a large sheep flock and a herd of beef suckler cows as well as growing cereal & other crops. We also have chickens, two donkeys and some pigs and the usual farm buildings and machinery. There is a pond, woodland & grassland as well as access to the River Pang, so we are able to focus on habitats & river studies as well as farming. As farming is seasonal, the school visit will also have a seasonal dimension, with lambing visits in March and April, habitats in May and June, river visits generally May ’til October, and farming visits March to October.

Camps for Schools

School groups can enjoy time under canvas, staffed by the John Simonds Trust. Our Manor site has a well-fitted kitchen, and plenty of traditional buildings to provide indoor space when needed, as well as two sheltered camping fields. We can also provide tents as necessary. Specific aspects of the school curriculum can be studied, or the camp can focus on teamwork skills.

Camps for Organisations

Scouts, churches and other organisations find camping a good social or team-building opportunity, a chance to learn new skills and a relaxing passtime. Groups of up to 100 can book for a weekend, or several days, depending on your needs. Duke of Edinburgh groups can walk in and out along public and permitted paths. You are advised to book early as space is limited.