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The Graiseley Primary School children and their teachers headed from the city for a lesson in food, farming and the environment with the Country Trust charity, supported by the NFU. The 29-strong group of five- and six-year-olds, many of whom had never visited a farm before, met the animals, picked their own vegetables and had fun at the Bower family’s business at Lower Drayton, Penkridge. The Year 1 pupils joined teachers and adult helpers on the fun educational trip on Friday (October 24) to find out more about how their food is produced, the countryside and nature. Graiseley headteacher Julie Humphries said: “For these children it is not something they will have experienced before but they really enjoyed it. “We don’t have any green spaces at school and a lot of the children do not have back gardens so to get them out on a farm is a real experience. “They were busy getting their hands in the soil, learning about plants, animals, nature and how farmers grow our food. “I think it is good that they see where their food comes from and why local is just so important. “Farming also ties in with the curriculum: learning about plant science, life cycles, the list goes on - there was a lot for them to see and do and they had fun. “They will all have great memories from the farm and take what they learnt back to the classroom.” Stephen Taylor, who is The Country Trust’s farm discovery coordinator for the Midlands, said all had enjoyed themselves and he thanked the team at Lower Drayton Farm. He said: “The children were out in the fields looking at sweetcorn, picking their own carrots and pumpkins and of course meeting the farm animals including cattle and pigs. “Nature and wildlife is also an important part of our work so we looked at the nature areas on the farm and searched for bugs and insects. “They had a real hands-on learning experience and were able to connect that to their learning in the classroom.” The charity does around 40 visits a year for primary pupils and is solely reliant on funding to continue their work. The Staffordshire NFU supported the event by helping towards the cost of the coach from Pool Street to Penkridge. Ray and Richard Bower, who are Mid Staffordshire NFU members, welcome thousands of visitors a year to Play@ Lower Drayton Farm and to their visitor experiences but regularly host free school visits. Richard said: “Getting the children out on farm is so important and we feel we are giving them and our visitors something really real. “Seeing the smiles on their faces as they explore and find out more is worth it, and they’re learning about our crops, the animals, the weather, the environment and even renewable energy. “We’re sharing what we do and they have great fun out in our fields. “They can see and then pick the food we grow, meet the animals, jump in a muddy puddle or two, and just have a real fun learning experience. “I think there’s a massive buzz about farming at the moment. Some of that has to be down to the impact of things like Clarkson’s Farm, but our customers are always asking us questions and we’re happy to share. “Young children love tractors and farm animals and they are always full of smiles and have a great time when they are with us. “For us, it’s all about community and giving back - it’s just a real experience for them and about opportunities. “We’ve also had pupils who have done school visits and come back in their late teens to do work experience or just to come and have a chat about careers and job opportunities. “A massive thank you to Graiseley Primary School for coming to visit us, for being brilliant pupils and to the Country Trust and the NFU.” The NFU has launched a campaign for an updated school curriculum that represents British food, farming, and our food security fairly across the education system. Earlier this year the NFU conducted research which revealed that two-thirds of teachers believe food and farming should play a bigger role in the national curriculum – a view echoed by the public, with more than 36,000 people signing the NFU’s petition calling on government to act. Over the past year, more than half a million schoolchildren have taken part in NFU live lessons, while the ‘Farmers for Schools’ programme – where trained farmers and NFU staff visit schools to share their stories – has more than doubled in reach. In the 2024/25 academic year alone, the programme has connected with over 30,000 pupils, thanks to the dedication of nearly 400 trained volunteers bringing food and farming into classrooms across the country.
