Through the generous funding of the Chadacre Trust we are able to offer a FREE course to VIth Form students (up to 10 schools in the academic year)  We are most grateful to the Chadacre Trust for awarding us this grant once again for the 2008/09 academic year.

The course is for students at either A or AS level and is suitable for those studying biology, environmental studies, geography or general studies.

The course looks at how a commercial farm can also adopt conservation principles. We now also have a demonstration area of crops grown on the farm; barley, wheat, oil seed rape, field beans and sugar beet.  One half is treated with the normal fertilizers and pesticides, the other left to enable students to see at a glance the difference additions make to the crops.

Various modules can be chosen to suit the students' needs, these include:

• Diversification
• Sustainability
• The GM debate
• The organic debate
• E.U. legislation
• Set aside
• Pesticides and fertilizers including health and safety issues and pollution control
• Conservation and countryside stewardship
• Quality schemes - traceability from farm to shop
• Basic field work techniques
• Land use
• Tourism
• Public Access
• Farming
• Pond and river work
• Woodlands
• Tracks and rides

A day can touch on several of these topics.  We try to include some practical outdoor work.  If the farmer is free, he is very willing to give a talk to the students and to answer their questions.

The Chadacre Trust will also give schools who wish to take this course, £100 towards their transport costs.

Quotes from High School teachers

Please contact the Field Centre office for more details and to check availability  Sarah@thornham.org.uk

Before your trip suggest your students play the Buzz biodiversity conservation game - great fun! 

Liz is normally the Thornham tutor for the Aspects of Farming and Conservation course.