Learn About Livestock 2024 Report

Project Brief

AIM

Learn About Livestock aims to give children the opportunity to experience farming first hand, by caring for a ewe and her lamb(s) on school ground for an entire week.

SCHEDULE

15th February 2024

26th - 29th February 2024

4th March 2024

8th March 2024

11th - 14th March 2024

Teacher Briefing Session

FFDT Equipment Delivery

Livestock Lender Sheep Delivery

Livestock Lender Sheep Collection

FFDT Equipment Collection

To enable children the opportunity to interact with livestock. To aid learning of farming and its practices within schools. To generate enthusiasm for local farming education and encourage children to want to learn more about agriculture.

SUMMARY

This project was planned and delivered by the Food and Farming Discovery Trust (FFDT). A native rare breed ewe and her lamb(s) were delivered into fourteen schools across Norfolk for five days (Monday - Friday). This year, the project was once again kindly sponsored by the Clan Trust. The sheep were loaned to the project by members of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's East Anglia Support Group. The livestock lenders this year were; Gail and Michael Sprake, Dameon Layt, Jordan Stone, Gillian Christian, Les and Tricia Newman, and Joshua Hill.

All equipment was provided and delivered to schools by the FFDT with help from the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, including shelter, penning and straw. All feed was provided by the livestock lenders. Teachers were responsible for care of the animals throughout the week, but each school had a representative attend the briefing session, provided by the FFDT prior to the project. Teachers were briefed on animal care, biosecurity and health and safety. They were also given the opportunity to get hands on experience with a ewe and lamb prior to the project starting.

Chapelfield Veterinary Practice provided on call emergency support throughout the project, which fortunately was not required.

Schools

School Map Number Students involved Year groups involved

Press Coverage

Eastern Daily Press - March 8th 2024

Norfolk schools look after lambs to learn about livestock- Chris Hill

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24166918.norfolk-schools-look-lambs-learnlivestock/

Bouncing spring lambs spent the week at schools across Norfolk to help children learn valuable lessons about farming and the origins of their food.

The Learn about Livestock project gives pupils the chance to look after ewes and lambs to boost their understanding of agriculture and strengthen links between schools and local farms.

This year, 14 Norfolk schools took part, including five in Norwich.

One of them was West Earlham Infant School on Scarnell Road in the city, whose headteacher Jade Hunter said it was a particularly valuable experience for urban children.

"To have that real hands-on experience with farm animals is not an experience they get often," she said. "It is very exciting, but it can be a bit scary too, because they have never been that close to a farm animal.

"The children really love it, so we try to build our curriculum around it for the week. It is a really valuable project to educate children about the food chain and the role farmers have in society.

"I am a strong vegetarian, but I am very honest with the children that farmers are there to provide food and this is where your meat comes from.

"It tells them that this is part of their life, so we speak about welfare and giving the animals a really good life and taking care of them, and what our responsibility is within that.

"It is important that children understand what they are putting in their mouths every day, and that it does not just appear on a supermarket shelf."

The project is run by the Food and Farming Discovery Trust (FFDT), the educational arm of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA).

FFDT manager Frances Roberson said: "While Norfolk is a very rural county, a lot of these children will not have had the opportunity to see or touch a sheep, so it is really important for them to be able to interact with these animals and understand about farming and where their food comes from."

The animals were supplied by local livestock farmers, and schools had to attend a preparatory briefing about basic animal husbandry, feeding and bedding, and how to spot any signs of health and welfare issues, with vets on standby if needed.

Press Coverage

Your Local Paper Kings Lynn - March 25th 2023

Nice to meet 'ewe'

Not online, in print only

Social Media

Social Media

Teacher Feedback

What were the benefits for the children taking part?

Victoria Rolfe - Arden Grove Infant School

"Being able to get up close with the sheep and lambs and to stroke and hold them. Watching them feed on the ewe. It sparked questioning (curiosity) lovely language was being used. It really brought our topic of 'farming' to life."

Laura Turk - Aslacton Primary School

"Children we able to experience first-hand what it takes to look after livestock. The chance to get up close to animals. Opportunities to learn about something deeper that then basic curriculum - looking more closely at aspects of science and world knowledge."

Rebecca Weir - Buxton Primary School

"The children took so much from their week; they just loved them. Many of the children had never had close contact with animals of any sort, especially farm animals. The sheep helped them engage in their learning about livestock as well as some literacy, they wrote letters to the farmer, stories about sheep as well as fact files. Dameon was great he came in one morning to talk to the children as well as teaching them some practical `Shepherd` skills. It was also very helpful for myself as I had greater knowledge. It gave the children a greater understanding of the food chain and they were happy to write about this. Also, they were intrigued to watch the lambs feed on the Ewe asking lots of questions about reproduction etc. Overall, it inspired them to learn and prompted their curiosity. They were all very sad when they had to leave."

Zoe Warren - Dersingham VA Primary School

"The Reception children took the lead in looking after the sheep teaching them about caring for animals who need, water, food, shelter etc. All children benefited from seeing the sheep and being that close to them, this was a first for many. Having a mum and 2 babies was great to provide those discussions with the older children and linking to their science curriculum."

Damon Finney - Duchy of Lancaster

"Learning about sheep, taking care of animals, bit of awe and wonder, motivation”.

Helen Botting & Victoria Farthing - Fairstead Community Primary School

"The whole school booked sessions to visit the ewe and lambs (over 400 children!) and found out about what they liked to eat/ drink, where they slept etc- they also loved seeing them out on the field during break and lunch times. Throughout the week the children (and the lambs!) became more confident and were comfortable holding and feeding the sheep. We had many parents comment positively on 'Sheep Week' as many of the children hadn't visited farm settings before. It was a great experience for all involved!"

"The children found the whole experience beneficial - it gave opportunities that would not be readily available to some individuals. It brought the school together in a common interest of wanting to see and look after the ewe and the lambs. The lower key stage had an understanding of how the animals then grewin time the lamb would look like the ewe etc. EYFS had story time and drawing time with the sheep and were able to touch the animals which again is not a luxury some have had outside of this experience. The upper key stage years of the school spent time with the sheep and spoke about life cycles and spring etc. The sheep inspired a lot of language and behaviours that the children would not normally be exposed to. Children were excited in the mornings to refill water and feed the sheep it almost became a routine of responsibility, some children that find classroom activities difficult really thrived around the animals and for some children spending time with the animals helped them to manage their emotions. The list of benefits is endless."

Teacher Feedback

What were the benefits for the children taking part?

Simon Fox - East Norfolk Sixth Form College

"Connection with nature and their local agricultural sector. An understanding of where food and materials come from. A chance to see a real animal! Awe and wonder"

Sophie Phillips - Queen's Hill Primary School

"There was a buzz of excitement from all the children and adults across the school and the children loved the responsibility of looking after the sheep. They were so interested in the animals and retained so much more information with the physical presence of the sheep."

Rebecca Dibble - Smithdon High School

"The students got a better understanding of animal care, farming, where their food comes from and what can be done with the by-products from the sheep."

Julie Hatfield - The Clare School

"This has been an amazing opportunity for our pupils, all of which have complex special needs. It has been a real hands-on experience for all involved. All the pupils, whatever their level of learning and challenges, have been able to fully explore the lambs...be it through touch, smell, sound, or sight and learn more about them. This is particularly beneficial to our most complex, pre-formal pupils who learn through a sensory curriculum and our visually impaired and blind pupils. They could really begin to understand what a lamb is! Pupils have enjoyed having the responsibility of feeding and cleaning out the sheep. As many of our pupils have so much of their own care done for them, due to their needs, having the responsibility for caring for another living creature has been a really important factor to help build their self-esteem and selfconfidence The project has helped the development of Math, English, Science and Art skills through weighing out the feed, writing about the sheep, learning about adult animals and their young and drawing/ creating collage pictures of the sheep. The pupils have also learnt about the products we can get from the sheep. We have a spinner coming into school this week to help spin the fleece supplied, which we have washed and prepared. Additionally, the pupils have learnt about ""Farm to Fork"" with various activities to help them understand where their food comes from. They even made some delicious lamb burgers! Yum! This project has really brought learning to life!"

Rebecca Alexandre - Town Close School

"The children grew in confidence around the animals as the week went on, which was hugely exciting for us to see. They learnt a lot about caring for wildlife and about empathy for living creatures. They also learnt plenty of new information about sheep and the use of their fleece for making wool. The children also learnt about baby animals and how they develop and grow."

Claire Hewett - West Earlham Infant and Nursery School

"A great project for children and families to be involved in."

Tabitha Crowther - Whitefriars Primary Academy

"Our catchment area is within the town and lots of our children do not have a garden. The project is a great opportunity for the children to get outside and have the responsibility of looking after livestock. They developed confidence and resilience throughout the week. It also gave them an understanding of how to look after sheep and why farming is important."

Teacher Feedback

Any additional comments?

Victoria Rolfe - Arden Grove Infant School

"We would love to do this again next year."

Laura Turk - Aslacton Primary School

"We really enjoyed being able to involve our parents in visiting the sheep and telling them all about what we had learned."

Zoe Warren - Dersingham VA Primary School

"We will all miss the sheep next week!"

Damon Finney - Duchy of Lancaster

"An enjoyable experience that I would repeat"

Simon Fox - East Norfolk Sixth Form College

"Would love to take part again next year!"

Helen Botting & Victoria Farthing - Fairstead Community Primary School

"The lender was more than accommodating with drop off and collection times of the animals and was available to reassure us when needed. I don't think he could have done more for us! Please pass on our thanks. The children were so upset when they realised the sheep had gone, sometimes a week just is not long enough!! Maybe next year a 2 week sheep week! We would love to be part of this project again- it was so beneficial for all involved."

Sophie Phillips - Queen's Hill Primary School

"Overall all lovely experience and thoroughly enjoyed by all of the school and parents too!"

Julie Hatfield - The Clare School

"I would like to thank all those involved in this project including those involved in the funding needed to support it. It has made such a difference to the lives of our pupils, for whom we endeavour to provide as many opportunities as possible to increase their quality and enjoyment of life. This project has helped to do that. A HUGE Thank You from all of us at The Clare School."

Would you recommend the project to other schools?

Yes 100%

No 0%

Would you take part again if the opportunity were to arise?

Yes 100%

No 0%

Inspiring Learning

Summary

This project is a key component of the educational offerings provided by the Food & Farming Discovery Trust. Following on from the success of 2022 and 2023, where twenty schools took part in the project, we were disappointed to have to reduce the number of schools this year down to fourteen. However with the help of our brilliant team of livestock lenders, we were able to reach over 3,600 school children, and increase of over 300, from Early Years through to Sixth Form.

The response from participating schools was overwhelmingly positive, with all schools saying they would recommend the project to other schools and all saying that they would like to participate again, should the opportunity arise. We also had positive feedback from parents and the public through interaction on social media and from our livestock lenders that volunteered their time to the project.

It is important to consider the future of such a successful initiative that provides such a memorable learning experience for young people. We want as many young people as possible to have the opportunity to participate and want to consider ways in which we could expand the project. This year the Suffolk Agricultural Association hosted Learn About Livestock for the first time and have experienced great success. We look forward to liaising with them going forward to help them expand this initiative.

Taking into account what we have learnt this year, there are changes we will implement next year to ensure that we can once again work at full capacity.

Learn about Livestock 2024

We would like to extend a special thank you to FFDT Advisory Group Member, Gail Sprake, who is the driving force behind Learn about Livestock.

Afurtherthankyoutoourlivestocklenders,aspartoftheRareBreedsSurvivalTrustEast AngliaSupportGroup,withoutwhomtheprojectwouldnotbepossible:

Gail and Michael Sprake

Dameon Layt

Jordan Stone

Les and Tricia Newman

Gillian Christian

Josh Hill

And finally we would like to extend a thank you to the RNAA and the Clan Trust for generously supporting this year's project enabling more young people than ever access to this exciting opportunity.

2024, Food & Farming Discovery Trust