Nurture Farm
Growing, Learning and Nurturing Together
Nestled within the grounds of Thomas A Becket Infant School, alongside our Forest School, our Nurture Farm provides a unique and exciting space where children can learn, explore, care and grow.
Home to our much-loved ducks, guinea pigs and rabbits, the farm offers far more than an opportunity to see and care for animals. It is a place where children can develop confidence, independence and a sense of responsibility, while experiencing meaningful, hands-on learning.
The Nurture Farm was created at the beginning of the 2021–2022 academic year, thanks to generous donations from Jim Jams Ltd, the Epps Family, the Goldsworthy Family, the parents of Fox Class 2021–2022, Seth Stump Grinding, FABS and many other supporters.
The farm continues to be funded entirely through donations and fundraising, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who helps us to maintain and develop this special resource for our children.
“If children don’t grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it, and if they don’t understand it, they won’t protect it.”
Sir David Attenborough
This is at the heart of our Nurture Farm. Through meaningful experiences with animals, nature and the environment, we want every child to develop a sense of wonder, responsibility and connection to the world around them. We believe that when children experience nature, care for living things and see where food comes from, they begin to understand their place within the natural world — and, importantly, develop the knowledge, compassion and confidence to help protect it.
Intent
Our Nurture Farm has been created with the belief that children learn best when they feel safe, valued, engaged and supported.
Our primary intention is to provide a nurturing environment where children can develop their social and emotional skills, build positive relationships and experience success. Through carefully planned animal-based activities and structured learning experiences, the farm provides opportunities for children to develop confidence, resilience, responsibility and independence.
The Nurture Farm meets four key objectives:
- To provide pastoral and social and emotional support through programmes of learning and animal-based intervention.
- To provide animal-assisted activities which promote wellbeing and positive experiences.
- To create motivating and supportive opportunities for children with additional needs.
- To enrich and enhance the curriculum through real-life, hands-on experiences.
Alongside these objectives, the farm supports children to develop a growing understanding of the natural world, animals, habitats, food, sustainability and caring for our environment.
Implementation
The Nurture Farm is an integral part of our school environment and provides opportunities for children across Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 to take their learning beyond the classroom.
Learning at the farm is practical, purposeful and rooted in real experiences. Children are encouraged to observe, question, investigate, problem-solve and reflect, making links between what they learn in the classroom and what they experience in the world around them.
Science and Understanding the World
The animals provide a wonderful context for developing children's scientific understanding. Children can observe animals closely, learn about their needs and explore topics such as:
- What animals need to survive
- Animal diets and healthy choices
- Life cycles and growth
- Animal characteristics
- Habitats and environments
- Seasonal changes
- Caring for living things
- Comparing different animals
Children develop scientific vocabulary and learn to make observations, ask questions and notice changes over time.
Geography and Our Environment
The farm provides meaningful opportunities to explore our local environment and understand how people, animals and nature are connected.
Children learn about habitats, biodiversity, plants, weather, seasons and sustainability. They can explore where food comes from, grow plants and consider how we can care for our environment and protect the wildlife around us.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
At the heart of the Nurture Farm is the development of children's wellbeing and social and emotional skills.
Spending time with animals can provide a calm, purposeful and supportive experience. Children learn to recognise and manage their emotions, develop patience and practise gentle and respectful interactions.
Tasks such as feeding an animal, changing bedding or helping to care for an enclosure give children a genuine sense of responsibility and achievement.
For some children, the farm provides a particularly valuable space where they can develop confidence, practise communication and build positive relationships with adults and peers.
Reading and Communication
The farm also provides an engaging environment for developing communication, language and literacy skills.
Many children enjoy reading to the animals, creating a relaxed and motivating context in which to practise their reading skills. Children can talk about what they have observed, learn new vocabulary, ask questions and share their experiences.
The animals can become a wonderful audience — one that is always ready to listen!
Practical Skills and Animal Husbandry
Our children do not simply visit the farm to look at the animals. We follow a 'Therapy Farm' ethos rather than a 'Petting Farm' model.
Children are encouraged to spend meaningful time with the animals and, where appropriate, take part in caring for them. This can include:
- Feeding the animals
- Providing fresh water
- Grooming
- Cleaning
- Replacing bedding
- Observing animal behaviour
- Learning about animal needs
- Helping to maintain their environment
Through these experiences, children begin to understand the responsibility involved in caring for another living thing and develop an understanding of basic animal husbandry.
Impact
The impact of the Nurture Farm extends far beyond the time children spend within the farm itself.
Through regular opportunities to learn and interact with the animals, children develop a range of skills and qualities that support them throughout their education.
Children develop:
Confidence – trying new experiences and recognising their own achievements.
Independence – completing meaningful tasks and taking responsibility for caring for the animals.
Communication – talking with adults and peers, asking questions and developing vocabulary.
Empathy and compassion – understanding that animals have needs, feelings and individual behaviours.
Resilience – persevering with unfamiliar or challenging tasks.
Responsibility – understanding that living things depend on us to care for them.
Emotional regulation – experiencing a calm and supportive environment where children can develop strategies for managing their emotions.
Teamwork – working alongside others and sharing responsibility.
Curiosity – observing, questioning and developing a desire to understand the world around them.
Most importantly, the Nurture Farm helps children to develop a sense of belonging and connection. It gives them opportunities to experience success, discover their strengths and develop positive relationships with both people and animals.
A Farm Where Learning Comes to Life
Our Nurture Farm brings learning to life.
A science lesson becomes an opportunity to observe a real animal.
A reading session becomes a chance to read to a rabbit.
Learning about habitats becomes something children can see and experience.
Learning about responsibility becomes caring for a living creature.
Learning about wellbeing becomes spending quiet, purposeful time with an animal.
The farm gives our children opportunities to learn by doing, learn by caring and learn through experience.
It is a very special part of Thomas A' Becket Infant School — a place where children can grow in confidence, develop a love of learning and discover the joy of caring for the world around them.
Supporting Our Nurture Farm
The Nurture Farm is funded entirely through donations and fundraising. Every contribution, large or small, helps us to provide food, bedding, veterinary care, equipment and improvements for our animals and the children who benefit from this wonderful resource.
Thank you to everyone who helps us to nurture, grow and develop our farm.