100th school farm in the UK to open next month in Merseyside
by
credit: Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens
The farm at Bebington High Sports College in the Wirral will be used to produce organic meat and vegetables for use in school dinners and food technology lessons with any surplus being sold locally.
Head Teacher of the school Brian Jordan said: “Our vision is to help young people today to know where food is sourced, how it is grown and the care needed to ensure the animals have a good life before they end up on our table.”
The farm will be opened on 12th March by Sean Wilson, for 20 years Martin Platt in Coronation Street and now owner of The Saddleworth Cheese Company.
School farms were first established in the nineteenth century, with numbers increasing particularly rapidly during the 1940s as part of the war effort. Interest then declined.
The number of school farms is now increasing rapidly again, with 107 more schools currently exploring the possibility of rearing livestock, thanks to the growing emphasis on educating children about food and wider recognition of the benefits school farms can have in raising pupil attainment.
New and established school farms are supported by the School Farms Network (SFN) which is coordinated by the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens.
For more information go to: www.schoolfarms.org.uk