Welcome to
Farm Club
Elsworth
Shaping
Futures,
Growing
Together.
Farm Club Elsworth is a home of inclusivity, sustainability and food. We are proud to introduce our KS3+ provision within such a community-centric space, offering our students the opportunity to become an integral part of something bigger. At Farm Club Elsworth, our students are encouraged to learn more about themselves, with access to a curriculum and qualifications they may not find elsewhere. We welcome you to explore our inspiring setting below and look forward to hearing from you soon.
The Food Preparation Area
The Big Hall
The Mezzanine is the floor above our main activity space. The perfect sanctuary when calm is required. On the mezzanine is a chill-out zone, as well as our communal resources - building trust and respecting one another.
The Office at Farm Club Elsworth works in direct communication with referrers, parents / carers and professionals. The Elsworth office is a hub of valuable information; we’re always here to point you in the right direction.
Growing is at the heart of Farm Club. Surrounded by a likeminded community in Elsworth, consciousness around where our food comes from, it’s nutritional and environmental impact and the process of pot-to-plate is embedded into our culture.
Farm Club students and staff are able to undertake levels of responsibility for the animals on site. From feeding to cleaning, caring to playing, Farm Club Elsworth provides a wealth of skills with regard to animal welfare, care practices and routines.
The Outdoor Areas
We are fortunate to have access to the expansive outdoor space at Farm Club Elsworth. From forests to paddocks, there is an abundance of nature for outdoor exploration and activity participation with our students.
This is our multi-functional space. We proudly offer a vast array of activities within this versatile space, from workshops and team building, to indoor sports and training courses - The Big Hall is adapted to offer it all.
The Food Preparation Area is key to our students time at Farm Club Elsworth. From gaining essential skills to integrating with the community, a lot of time is spent prepping, sharing and learning over food.
The Office
The Mezzanine
The Animals
The Polytunnel
Refer a Student
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Refer a Student • Click Here •
KS3+
Provision
KS3 (Key Stage 3) is the term for the first 3 years of secondary school in England and Wales. Typically, children between the ages of 11 and 16 sit within KS3 and KS4. Farm Club recognises that in these early to mid teen years, responsibility and autonomy is imperative to character building and a sense of belonging. It’s for this reason that Farm Club Elsworth has been purposefully constructed to build skill, pride and confidence for the KS3+ age group.
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Age range of learners: Target group: Aged 11-16 (Children outside of this age bracket can be discussed with us on a case by case basis)
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Sessions at Farm Club, Elsworth are tailored around key life skills, including but not limited to:
Personal Health and Wellbeing
Cooking and Food Preparation
Team Building
Emotional Literacy and Emotional Understanding
Animal Care
Plant Care
Personal Development
DIY and Maintenance
Occupational Skills
Finance and Commerce
Health and Safety Learning and development is at the heart of what we do, encouraging our students to explore and be curious.
Our students have the opportunity to engage in group activities and project-based work as well as achieving recognised qualifications and attending workshops curated to their individual goals and aspirations. Utilising this opportunity to make a true difference to the vulnerable children in our care gives them the availability to thrive within education and far into their futures. So how do we do what we do? First and foremost, we have to connect before we can correct. We understand that behaviours stem from emotions, and emotions are influenced by experiences. By offering positive experiences to our students, we are able to support them to make positive choices and display valued behaviour. We instil trust in our students through structured activities, combined with free play and exploration. This process varies in length from student to student, but we ensure this all-important feeling of freedom, pride in making choices and opportunity of expression is never lost throughout each child’s journey with us. Once we have developed a meaningful and honest relationship with boundaries, consistency and fun, we are able to support students to improve their emotional regulation.
To summarise, our mission is to equip our students with the skills, knowledge and strategies, to thrive within our complex and ever changing society.
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The Farm Club sites are audited independently, however we work tirelessly to ensure seamless communication and consistent running operations across the board. Our high quality training, safeguarding expertise and health & safety assurances are unwavering across our provisions. Farm Club’s central head office team will be more than happy to discuss details for all provisions over the phone or by email. Please see our contact page for more information.
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At this stage, you may have some more questions. If you wish to speak to a member of the Farm Club team, please send us an email to office@farmclub.co.uk requesting a telephone conversation and we will book this in at a time to suit you. We would be delighted to offer you a site visit and this can be organised by a member of our team. Should you feel confident with the process and the provision that is on offer, we welcome you to continue with the referral process.
The Offering
Weeks
Farm Club is open for approximately 39 weeks each year. We follow the timetable for mainstream schools, as proposed by Cambridgeshire County Council. Our services run between Monday and Friday in term times.
Hours
Students attending Farm Club have a maximum cap of 15 hours per week. This is applicable across all independent AP’s, and not dictated by Farm Club. Our sessions run between 9am-12pm and 12.30pm-3.30pm.
Attendance
Farm Club offers a minimum of one 3 hour session per week. A minimum of one term’s attendance is recommended, however shorter placements may be possible in extenuating circumstances.
Ratios
Farm Club ensure that the appropriate staff to student ratios are in place at all times. Ratio’s are dependent on the level of need for each individual. There are many opportunities for group and solo time in every session.
Staff Allocation
Every student at Farm Club is assigned a key member of staff upon successful induction. However, this does not mean that the same staff member will lead every session, due to an awareness of attachment.
Support
There are two members of supporting staff present for every session: a site manager and a student supervisor. Our session staff are trained Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL).
Reporting
A report is written for every student for each of the sessions that are attended. These reports are circulated to our professional contacts only (e.g. teachers). Half termly detailed reports are also written and shared.
Communication
We take great pride in our great communication between multiple agencies. Upon referral, key contacts must be shared with our team in order for us to keep all relevant parties updated regarding a student’s journey.
Reintegration
Our aim is to prevent any student from becoming permanently excluded. The process of this reality can look different on a case-by-case basis and vary in length of time. We always strive for reintegration into schooling.
Working proudly in
collaboration with
Frank’s Farm is a community centric farm based in Elsworth, Cambridgeshire. With sustainability and people at the heart of each day on the farm, the likeminded community spirit at Frank’s permeates into sessions with our students. On site at Frank’s Farm you will find a bakery, butchers, cafe, local deli, chocolate shop and, of course, plenty of outdoor space (including the wonderful cow field)! We’re proud to offer such brilliant exposure to a setting like Frank’s Farm for our KS3+ students.
FAQs
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Pastoral Support on Offer:
One to one support when required
Additional onsite student support provided by our Session Supervisor, Session Assistant and Site Manager/DSL.
Access to experienced mentors.
Monitor behaviour, attendance and progress against our four pillars; Emotional regulation, Compliance, Building an appetite for learning and development, Social integration
Our individual reporting system includes daily scores around the four farm club pillars, half termly progress reports and progress graphs.
Support with transition.
Identify barriers and solutions to learning and engagement by liaising with other professionals working with the student.
Access to locality team support can be arranged.
Behaviour management and restorative meetings are offered through a therapeutic and considered approach.
Emotional literacy.
Information, Guidance and Advice.
Daily monitoring and reporting of attendance.
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Expected outcomes for Students:
Prevention of exclusion.
Positive changes in attitude.
Learning self-motivation and resilience.
Modelling and instilling valued behaviours.Confidence and self esteem.
Respecting boundaries and structure.
Working independently and following clear instructions.
Working in a team and helping others.
Improved relationships.
Development of personal, social and practical life skills.
Improved attendance and punctuality.
Improved pro-social behaviour.
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Students participate in activities which support them to develop skills and understanding including;
Learning to manage emotional regulation and develop coping strategies for dysregulation.
Understanding and evaluating emotions and experiences.
Obtaining vital life skills through workshops, qualifications and experiences.
To learn and follow the RSPCA five freedoms when caring for animals.
Learning how to plant, grow and harvest food.
Learning to compromise and celebrate the choices of others.
Learning forest school, crafting and outdoor living skills.
Learning about the nutritional value of foods through practical food based activities
Learning to model pro-social behaviour.
Learning how to prepare and cook food.
Learning to develop social skills by participating in team activities and games with the full support of the session leader.
Learning to develop compliance and understanding of why boundaries are positive and important.
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Yes, we are very proud to have been quality assured as a Stage 4 provision by Cambridgeshire Local Education Authority.
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We follow safer recruitment guidelines.
We have robust safeguarding systems in place.
We have thorough policies and procedures in place that cover all elements of our site and the work we do with our students.
The Curriculum
Our Development Programme
With a KS3+ centric provision, we understand the importance of our students taking away valuable life-skills - skills that will ready them for a return into education and ultimately the world of work. We use our development programme to ignite a passion in our students, following their interests and honing their abilities, building character, resilience and competency, whilst giving them satisfaction and pride in their educational journey.
Workshops & Work Experience
At Farm Club, we believe deeply in hands-on learning. It’s important to us to grant exposure to our students that they may not otherwise have access to. It’s through the integration of workshops and work experience in our curriculum that we can enable this. Working with quality providers, as well as the access to facilities on site, our students have many opportunities to apply working principles, professionalism and skills in real-time.
ASDAN Courses & Qualifications
“ASDAN is an education charity and awarding organisation providing courses, accredited curriculum programmes and regulated qualifications. Our goal is to engage learners through relevant and motivating courses to achieve meaningful learning outcomes, which elevate them to progress to further education, training and work, and empower them to take control of their lives.” Farm Club is proud to be an ASDAN programme and qualification provider.
Farm Club is a high dependency setting
High staff ratio.
Designated key worker/s.
Encouraging an education centred around life skills, appetite for learning and development, emotional regulation and compliance.
Goal of reintegration for each student.
Our play based approach creates meaningful connections and trusting relationships between staff and students.
Opportunity for social interaction and independent session time in equal measure, depending on each child.
Encourage willing participation and engagement.
We offer a choice of activities and qualifications tailored to student likes and needs, alongside structured activities in “The Farm Club Curriculum”
Varied timetable with scope for independent curiosity and student ideas.
Sessions are structured, offering consistency and routine.
Working towards specified and tangible outcomes (EHCP and Farm Club Outcomes).
Maintaining the
Farm Club Ethos
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Farm Club Elsworth offers many opportunities for students to grow food, cook food and study food too!
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Plant care and horticulture is high on the priority list for our students - with access to Franks Farm polytunnel we are able to get hands on with the plant cycle from start to finish.
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Through the ethos, 3-pronged curriculum and setting at Farm Club Elsworth, our students are able to walk away with a bucket-full of experience and workplace recognised qualifications too.
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As a KS3+ setting, Farm Club staff are trained to target the importance of personal care and safety as students transition from childhood into adulthood, providing them with invaluable knowledge to take onward in their journey.
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Life skills development is a personal endeavour. We feel very fortunate that we are able to follow preferences and tailor sessions to the interests of the individuals we have at Farm Club. By nurturing passion and encouraging growth and resilience, we are able to equip students with the skills and understanding they will need on their own individual path.
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Team building and social interaction become extremely prominent as students enter the KS3+ provision. It’s important that our students have exposure to a true sense of community, allyship and friendship as they continue to grow both as individuals and within a team. Farm Club Elsworth provides activities, exercises, tasks and opportunities for relationships and trust to blossom.