In 2024, more children than ever connected with nature and sustainable agriculture through the Goodwood Education Trust, which saw significant growth in the number of school groups visiting.
As an independent environmental education charity based on the Goodwood Estate, the Trust offers three inspirational nature-based programmes designed to engage children, particularly those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged. The programmes are Farm Visits for Schools, Woodland Learning and Children in the Community.
Farm visits are popular all year round. In 2024, 1959 children visited Home Farm for an educational experience. Over 20% of the pupils were eligible for Free School Meals and 17% had Special Educational Needs. Of the 1959 children, 949 children came on a free trip, from schools in disadvantaged areas, with high numbers of children eligible for Free School Meals or children with Special Educational Needs. Of these 949, 32% were eligible for Free School Meals while 28% had Special Educational Needs.
Catherine Cannon, Trust Manager, said, ‘The eligibility for Free School Meals in West Sussex is 15.2%, so it shows we are really reaching the children for whom this will make the biggest difference’.
The South Downs National Park approached the Trust to deliver further farm visits in their Discover the Downs initiative, as part of a wider national programme ‘Generation Green 2’, to connect underserved communities with nature. Additional free farm visits have been arranged for schools with Pupil Premium higher than 30%.
The Trust is a recognised Provider with the Forest School Association. They work with primary and secondary schools who attend weekly, bringing children to the woods as part of their curriculum. These include the local Special School, the local Unit of the statutory Alternative Provision College (for primary children excluded from mainstream schooling) and four secondary school groups with students with particular needs including English as an Additional Language and those who struggle with anxiety and school attendance. The groups are necessarily small, with high staffing needs, and offer exclusive use of an outdoor learning space to create a sense of safety, security and familiarity.
Catherine explained, ‘Keeping children engaged, and in schools, keeps them safer, reducing vulnerability and risk of marginalisation. In 2024 we ran 155 weekly sessions, and are fully booked into 2025’.
One secondary school says, ‘Forest School creates opportunities to be successful whilst building teamwork, self-esteem and confidence. One child has not received a suspension for over a term and a half. This remarkable progress reflects the shift in persistent disruptive behaviours. The number of lesson removals has dropped dramatically, and he has improved his engagement in lessons’.
For the second year, the Trust was a Provider for the HAF programme (Holiday, Activity and Food) for children eligible for means-tested Free School Meals, to enjoy holiday activities and a cooked lunch. The Trust increased their place allocation by 40% on 2023, and all the places were booked. The County Council said, ‘We were delighted to have the Goodwood Education Trust in the programme again this year, increasing their provision to meet demand from families. Their Forest Adventures offer an enriching outdoor learning experience in beautiful woodland, and on our visit, we were thrilled to see the children exploring nature and making new friends’.
The Trust has run free woodland activity days for children with a variety of needs. These include a local charity supporting children living with a life-limiting or terminal condition, the local children’s hospice and siblings, children learning to live with a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes, Young Carers and a charity supporting local refugee families.
The NHS team, who marshalled a significant paediatric nursing presence to make the day possible, said. ‘A massive thank you to you and your team from us!! The Forest day was brilliant! It was great to see the young people enjoying themselves and there were some lovely moments with big smiles from a couple of the young people when they suddenly noticed that they weren't the only one with Type 1 Diabetes! We give the day 5 stars’.
One school group, whose teachers give up their time to provide additional experiences for Pupil Premium children, said, ‘All the children were engaged and came away with memories that will last forever. As I am sure you can appreciate the children who attended, rarely have the opportunity of days out like this and really benefitted from the experience’.
Looking ahead into 2025, the Trust will remain unrelentingly focussed on their three core programmes, farm visits, Forest School and community-based work. Catherine confirms, ‘The ambition is not to increase absolute numbers of participation, but to reach more of the children for whom this connection and time spent in nature will make the biggest difference’.
Learn more about the Goodwood Education Trust here.
Notes for Editors:
Founded by the 10th Duke of Richmond in 1976, the Goodwood Education Trust has provided outdoor learning opportunities to children and young people for almost 50 years. The Trust is an independent Charitable Incorporated Organisation (registered with the Charity Commission 1198212), inspiring a love of outdoor learning and nature with children and young people.
The Trust offers children and young people a range of workshops, engagement activities and practical hands-on experiences. Drawing on the unique woodland and farm here at Goodwood, the three aims of the Trust are:
- Farm Visits for Schools,including free visits for disadvantaged schools
- Woodland learning,including weekly Forest School for vulnerable students, including those in Alternative Provision or Special Schools.
- Children in the Community, woodland activities, including partnerships with local charities and Forest Adventures through school holidays, particularly for those on low incomes.
The Trust is based in Seeley Copse – an 8-hectare remnant of semi-ancient woodland devoted entirely to education. The purpose built accessible Education Centre is the most sustainable building on the Estate. Activities take place in the woodland and on the farm.
The Trust welcomes schools from across West Sussex and East Hampshire, including Portsmouth and Gosport. Weekly Forest School and the children’s community programme serve those geographically closer, where clear need is identified. Funding is prioritised for those from underserved areas.
Contact
Catherine Cannon, Goodwood Education Trust Manager catherine.cannon@goodwood.com
Jade Callan, Head of Estate Marketing and PR jade.callan@goodwood.com
For all other press enquiries please contact: media@goodwood.com
