Shinewater Primary School launches new farm partnership to grow real-world learning
Pupils from Shinewater Primary School, part of Swale Academies Trust, are taking their learning beyond the classroom thanks to an exciting new partnership with a local farm.
This innovative collaboration with La Rette Farm will see children at Shinewater learn about caring for animals, growing produce, harvesting crops and sustainability. This will provide exciting, practical insights and support their learning across subjects, including Geography and Science.
To launch the partnership, ten pupils, from year three to year six, took part in an inaugural trip to the farm in Battle. Pupils had the chance to meet the farm animals up close, explore the fauna and flora and learn about the ecological properties of sheep's wool. Staff at the farm guided pupils through each activity and helped them learn about caring for the environment and using natural resources responsibly.
The school’s very own Wildlife Warriors, who are pupils championing the conservation of wildlife and a part of the school’s wider Young Climate Warriors group, enjoyed visiting the farm and were fascinated to learn how using a tape measure could calculate the age of an Oak tree.
Shinewater pupils are set to continue visiting La Rette Farm for the rest of the academic year and hopefully for years to come. Pupils in all year groups will get the opportunity to pull on their wellies and experience farm life.
This outdoor initiative provides hands-on, experiential learning that the traditional classroom cannot replicate, bridging the curriculum with real-world application. Crucially, the farm visits immerse pupils in authentic farm culture, fostering a deeper respect for the cycle of food production and the labour required to sustain it. Tasks like caring for livestock, learning about crop cycles, and calculating the age of ancient oak trees not only apply core subjects but also teach vital life skills such as patience, responsibility and resilience, giving children a tangible sense of purpose and connection to the environment.
Ollie Gibbons and Claire Mason, Outdoor Learning Leads at Shinewater Primary School, said: “Outdoor learning gives children additional opportunities that the classroom simply cannot provide. We’re already aware of the benefits Outdoor Learning can bring, first hand, such as, positive behaviour, learning life skills and caring for the environment and its inhabitants. For this reason, we’ve worked hard to create this opportunity for our school and the pupils. We’re excited to see the potential that the twinning can bring to our school and many others.”
Helen Evason, Headteacher at Shinewater Primary School, said: “We want our pupils to understand the importance of caring for the environment, not just in theory but in real, practical ways. The visit to the farm brought sustainability to life for them and encouraged thoughtful conversations back in school. This kind of hands-on learning helps our pupils grow in confidence and curiosity, which is at the heart of what we strive for at Shinewater, and we are grateful to Le Rette Farm for welcoming our pupils and making this partnership a reality.”
Anna, Owner of La Rette Farm, said: “As a regenerative farm, education sits at the heart of what we do, so twinning with Shinewater felt like a natural fit. Seeing pupils learn firsthand about wildlife, food production and sustainable farming was fantastic. We even did some mathematics calculating the age of an Oak Tree and discussed the era it came from. The farm is a dynamic learning environment, reinforcing so many areas of the curriculum while helping children build a deeper understanding of the natural world and their role in protecting it.”