Wigfield Farm goes global

The Farm provided teachers with remote lesson ideas, tours, and activity materials for school children through their social media platforms. The Farm’s virtual visits has stretched as far as every county in England and then Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Requests were also received from Germany, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain, the Philippines and New Zealand!

Lindsey Robinson, an Activity Worker at Wigfield Farm, said:

“The Farm never reopened after the first lockdown eased so we have been trying to think of ways to still engage with the community. We knew schools would be covering topics around animals, farming and where food comes from, this usually results in lots of school visits to the farm, but due to COVID-19 this hasn’t been possible.

“The College didn’t want children to feel like they were missing out, so we decided to make some free teaching resources and to create a virtual farm tour experience to bring our farm into the classroom. Farm visits are often the only chance for children to get up close to animals so making videos means they still get to meet them and their characters.

“We reached out to teachers through our social media channels and received an amazing response from schools, nurseries, childminders, Special Educational Needs settings, Cubs and Scout groups and home schoolers.

“We have had some amazing feedback and to think that we have put smiles on the faces of children all around the world feels very rewarding and more than we could have ever imagined!”

Barnsley College transforms the lives of students, staff and communities. The College offers a range of Animal Care and Horticulture courses at Wigfield Farm. Available from Level 1 to Level 6, on either a full or part-time basis, apprenticeship or at Higher Education, the courses enable you to gain skills from entry level through to degree level.