SEND School Story - a visit to Jaimie’s Farm
August 2022
In July a group of Haringey Learning Partnership students spent an amazing time at Jamie’s Farm. Here is how students Ocean and Maida found the experience.
Jamie’s Farm is a residential farm that provides a rural experience for people who are more used to an urban life. Immediately the differences were huge. The houses had much more space around them, unlike the city. There are less people and more animals. We felt that you would walk miles to get anywhere. Ocean stated on the minibus “it is so quiet”, Maida responded “it was, up until now” as she stared at Ocean. Once off the bus, there was little to be heard other than the bleating of sheep, and the clucking of chickens.
Soon after arriving we took all our luggage out the bus and put it into the living room. We then went to the dining room to talk and play games that introduced us to each other. We had a short exploration of the farm and were provided with wellies and overalls.
We were then tasked with our first adventure - to walk a steep hill for about 1 hour. It was very tiring, we wanted to turn back but then we were told that it wouldn’t be long, so we continued. After we came back down from the walk, we had dinner of spaghetti with salad and bolognese.
The following day we fed the animals before we fed ourselves. The animals were a mixture of goats, pigs, cows, chickens, ponies, sheep, and the farm's working dogs. Our favourites to feed were the goats and cows.
After feeding the animals we attended to breakfast. The day was filled with work on the farm. This included cooking in the kitchen, cleaning the goat pen, cleaning the stables, walking the horses, providing new straw for the animals to sleep in, collecting eggs, and building fences.
Before dinner, we would go for a walk, which was often up hills and through woodlands. Very different from a walk in the city. The walks could be exhausting after a day on the farm. Getting back to the farm allowed us to shower and relax in our rooms before dinner. Dinner was good and much needed after working and walking. Afterwards, we gave a shout-out to those who we felt did a tremendous job. This was a nice way to celebrate our students.
On the last day at the farm, we had a bonfire to celebrate the time at the farm. We gave feedback on how we felt, and what we were most proud of. It is safe to say that we all gained confidence around the animals and had experienced things we may not have experienced before. A great time was had by everyone.
When it came time to leave, we were caught between a great experience and wanting to come back home. The feedback from the farm about each and every child was positive and gave us a sense of achievement We packed, took a final picture, said goodbye to the farm (and our favourite animals) and headed home. Exhausted, but it was definitely worth it!
Ocean S and Maida A, Year 11