Our School Farm
Eastfield School is one of only a small number of primary schools in England to have a working farm on site. Established in 2007, the farm was created to help children and the wider school community understand where their food comes from and to develop a deeper connection with animals and the natural world.
Over the years, the farm has received several awards and has been featured on local news programmes as well as the BBC One show Countryfile. In 2017, Eastfield School Farm achieved national recognition, being named Primary Farm School of the Year, as well as receiving a runner-up award for Best Use of a School Farm in the Curriculum.
The farm has become a much-loved haven for children and their families, offering calm, purpose, and comfort—particularly during the challenges of the Covid-19 period and throughout school holidays. Caring for the animals has provided valuable respite and wellbeing benefits for the whole community.
Although the farm has evolved over the past twelve years, animal welfare has always remained at its heart. Currently, we care for chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and quails, and in the past we have also welcomed ducks, lambs, sheep, and goats. Our chickens enjoy free-ranging and dust bathing in a large wood-chipped area, with shelter available in a weather-protected polytunnel during colder and wetter months. Many of our chickens have been rescued from battery farms, while others have been hatched on site from purebred stock.
The farm is a whole-school responsibility. Each year group has the opportunity to take part through Farm Club or by working alongside an adult to care for the animals. Children collect eggs, feed and water the animals, and regularly check on their welfare. They especially enjoy cuddling, grooming, and spending time with the guinea pigs and rabbits.
Spring is an especially exciting time at Eastfield School. In previous years, children have helped raise chicks, ducklings, quails, piglets, and lambs, giving them hands-on experience of life cycles and an understanding of how animals’ needs change as they grow. They have also planted young trees in the school grounds and grown vegetables in the allotment plots.
During the summer months, we sell eggs from our chickens and quails, along with apples harvested from our orchard. In autumn, each class takes part in carving and decorating pumpkins that were planted earlier in the year in our allotments—bringing the growing cycle full circle.