Discover everything you need to know about organising a farm visit for your students and the many benefits of learning in these amazing outdoor settings.

Every year thousands of young people visit a farm to learn about where our food comes from, how farmers manage their land and the many and varied career opportunities within the agricultural sector.

Here we provide you with a guide on arranging farm visits. What you need to think about, how to make the most of the visit both in the classroom and the field to help make your farm visit an enriching experience for your children.

Find your nearest farm or countryside location

Why visit a farm?
Farm visits are an exciting opportunity to see first-hand how food is grown and reared as well as showing how farmers manage their land sustainably to encourage wildlife and protect the environment. Farm visits are an enriching experience for children, helping them to connect where their food comes from as well as highlighting the opportunities for employment within the agricultural sector.
Pre-visit activities
A pre-visit to the farm is a vital part of the planning process and school staff are strongly advised to carry one out. It is important to discuss the activities that will be taking place and check relevance to your curriculum and review the hazards and precautions necessary to take to make the visit a safe one for all who attend.

Pre-visit activities

A day or two before, check the transport arrangements, ask the farm about any last-minute changes, and prepare everything you need for the day such as worksheets, clipboards, first aid kit, contact details for all the children, spare wellies etc.

On the day
Well planned and delivered outdoor learning experiences can be of value to children in so many ways. The focus on curriculum delivery is often the initial driver for a visit, but the benefits should never be underestimated of just being in the countryside, (physical and mental wellbeing), as well as the experience of doing something different.

On the day

On the way, remind children about good behaviour. You, not the farmer, are responsible for monitoring the children’s behaviour during the visit.

  1. On arrival, check any last-minute changes with the farmer, and confirm contact phone numbers and emergency procedures.
  2. If it’s a wet day, see if the farmer has a wet weather plan but be prepared to continue with your visit! Here are some ideas for wet weather activities.
  • There might be an occasional gap to fill e.g., if a group needs to go to use the toilets while others are waiting. Some quick activities to consider can be found here.
  • Don't worry if everything does not go entirely to plan as it's all a learning experience for the children. Sometimes something unexpected will occur such as the birth of an animal – open the children’s eyes to new experiences even if it disrupts the timetable!
  • Make sure you let the farmer know how the day went for you and return their evaluation form if they provide one.
Post-visit activities
During the visit it might be useful to consider what information students can gather to use back in the classroom. If the farm visit forms part of an ongoing topic think about how the day's activities can be the inspiration for a range of curriculum tasks back in the classroom. Can you continue the link with the farmer beyond the visit so that the children learn about the farm through the seasons?

Useful Classroom Resources

There are many resources on Countryside Classroom that will be useful for pre- and post- farm visit work back in the classroom, depending on the topic on which you have a focus or the type of visit you are undertaking.

For primary schools
For secondary schools

Where can I get support and advice?

LEAF Education Regional Consultants work throughout England and Wales. Each member of the team has an education background as well as knowledge of farms offering visits. Members of the team are happy to answer any questions you may have in terms of visiting farms or integrating food, farming and countryside topics into your curriculum. Contact your LEAF Regional Education Consultant.

Health and safety on the farm

As with any school visit, health and safety is of paramount importance. Just like any other venue, farms have risks. However, these can be controlled through good planning and observation of simple guidelines. Good hand washing and boot washing facilities are essential and should be checked for during your pre-visit of the farm. For more detailed advice for teachers please download the Advice to Teachers and Others which should be essential reading for any member of school staff taking children to a farm.

How do I book a visit?

After researching where the closest and most suitable farm is to your school, simply make contact using the details listed on the Places to Visit page. Make sure you phone or email in good time before your planned visit. Make sure you let the farm know the year group, number of students and any topics you are keen to cover during your visit, also be clear whether you want a half day or full day visit and a number of dates that would work for your group.

This handbook covers all the essential aspects of organising school farm visits; from what to include in a risk assessment, to linking visits to the curriculum. There is also information on the types of farms offering visits as well as what to look for on a pre visit.

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Countryside Classroom Partners that can assist with farm visits

Countryside Learning

Learn more about how Countryside Learning can provide farm and outdoor trips for schools and groups.

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Farms for City Children

Farms for City Children have a variety of farms to visit including residential experiences.

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The Country Trust

Visit real working farms and estates and be expertly guided by The Country Trust.

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LEAF Education

Help to plan and run safe, curriculum-linked educational farm visits, activity sessions, and events for young people.

View details

Find your nearest farm or countryside location

Are you an owner or operator of a Farm and want to register your farm to the Countryside Classroom?

Register your farm

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