Curious about taking your students to visit a working urban vegetable and flower farm in inner London?
A visit to the farm provides an opportunity to reinforce learning from the classroom around food, plants and the climate. Our name means ‘Food Place’. We care about good food. We want to introduce local young people to how their food is grown, to raise awareness about the current food system and inspire the next generation of Londoners to think about their role in this Sitopia.
We live in a broken food system. We want to change this and we need your help!
Key information
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When
- Tuesdays
- AM or PM session
- March-November
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Where
Our beautiful 2-acre farm is located in Shooters Hill, Greenwich. We are a working farm and have on-site toilets and picnic tables for visitors.
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Who
Our facilitators are local farmers with a wealth of experience working with young people and delivering inspiring, engaging and interactive sessions.
Our programmes
Primary School Programme (Key Stage 2)
A visit to the farm will explore the ecosystem of a working farm and our relationship with our environment. We spend time understanding where our food comes from. Children will have opportunity to work scientifically to observe parts of the plant, discuss biodiversity and why growing locally and in tune with nature is better for us and the world around us.
We will explore seasonality and take a sensory tour of the farm. Every student will have the chance to pick and taste something fresh from our field and leave our farm more informed and curious about what’s on their plate.
Secondary Schools
For KS3 and above, a trip to the farm will get students thinking about the wider food system and how we are all part of it. We will explore seasonality and take a sensory tour of the farm. There will be time to connect with soil and food as well as moments of reflection about our relationship to food and the impact of growing and distributing food at a local and global level.
Every student will have the chance to pick and taste something fresh from our field and leave more informed and curious about what’s on their plate.
Small Groups
For small groups, we are able to adapt our programmes to how families can be part of regenerative futures. We run a fun and interactive farm tour talking about our food and where it comes from followed by a seasonal farm activity which could be something like composting, harvesting or saving seeds.
You will leave inspired and with some tangible actions you can take in your community and at home.
“I used to want to be an artist but now I want to be a farmer”
Arkhana, Year 3
How to book
To enquire about booking one of our programmes, please fill out the form below and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Primary School Programme
For KS2 students, a visit to the farm focuses on the relationship between living things and our relationship with our environment. We spend time understanding where our food comes from, looking at parts of the plant, biodiversity and why growing locally and in tune with nature is better for us and the world around us.
We explore seasonality and take a sensory tour of the farm. Every student will have the chance to pick and taste something fresh from our field and leave more informed and curious about what’s on their plate.
£240 plus VAT for a class of up to 30 students. Funding options available.
Secondary School Programme
For KS3 and above, a trip to the farm will get students thinking about the wider food system and how we are all part of it. We will explore seasonality and take a sensory tour of the farm. There will be time to connect with soil and food as well as moments of reflection about our relationship to food and the impact of growing and distributing food at a local and global level.
Every student will have the chance to pick and taste something fresh from our field and leave more informed and curious about what’s on their plate.
£240 plus VAT for a class of up to 30 students. Funding options available.
Meet our facilitators
Stevie (she/her)
Stevie grew up in Lewisham and found her way to growing along a wiggly path. She has a degree in Spanish, a career in the charity sector focusing on education and community development and even set-up a rooftop community garden. She’s passionate about local solutions, seasonality and making learning fun. She’ll have students giggling and jumping up and down while learning about why vegetables are vital!
FAQs
Safeguarding
We work hard to keep everyone safe at the farm. You can access our safeguarding and child protection policy here.
Risk Assessment
Click here to download a sample risk assessment for you to adapt for your visit.
Getting Here
Sitopia Farm comes up on Google Maps, and the address is 331 Shooters Hill (on the wider Woodlands Farm Trust) DA16 3RP.
You can park at the farm if you need to, or there's a bus stop right outside the gate.
Weather
The sessions will take place outside on our beautiful farm no matter the weather. We ask students and adults to come dressed for the weather and we’ll do our best to adapt the activities to take place in our polytunnel or under a gazebo in the event of heavy rain.
Funding Options
We recognise that funding for trips can be a challenge. If money is a barrier, please do get in touch and we can discuss the options.
Special Educational Schools
At this time, we are not able to support students with high level needs. Our programmes are facilitated by one member of staff and are designed to be dynamic and engaging for mainstream school students.
Facilities
We are a working farm and our facilities are rustic. Currently we have toilets and picnic benches available outside the education centre and 2 acres of beautiful outdoor growing space to explore.
What to bring
Come rain or shine, all visits to the farm will include outdoor experiences. Please ensure that your students and adults are dressed appropriately for the weather, with suitable footwear, regardless of the season!
We suggest bringing:
- Old clothes that you don’t mind getting messy
- Sturdy footwear you don’t mind getting a bit muddy
- Raincoats
- Water bottles
What previous visitors said
“This trip has been the highlight of our year. Our class was able to immerse themselves in a real life farming experience and feel empowered to take action to grow their own food and understand how our food system works. The workshop was perfectly pitched against our curriculum learning and our facilitator was proactive in reaching out to us ahead of the session to ensure that our trip would harmonise with what we have been learning in class. Our parent volunteers were thrilled to be part of this experience, which will surely be a lasting memory from their children's primary school years.”
Ms Back, Year 3 Teacher at Invicta Primary School, Blackheath
