Our aim is to engage students in meaningful sessions with measurable impact, primarily outside of the traditional classroom setting, through a wide range of practical activities.

The aims of Rural Skills are:

• To connect our pupils to the outdoor environment by providing a natural space for them to play, explore, discover & grow.
• To be ambitious for every pupil to increase their experience, enrichment & opportunities for the learning and development of transferable skills.
• To provide a constantly evolving, broad and eclectic variety of activities to ensure that our provision appeals to as many pupils as possible.

Students are referred to the programme using specific intervention targets to ensure a person-centred approach based on their own needs.

Many of our students find traditional classroom environments particularly challenging so by tapping into the wealth of opportunities that can be found in nature, we offer young people the chance to benefit from a far greater breadth of learning experience and enrichment.

Interacting with and caring for animals, growing flowers and vegetables, and working within a practical context on a wide range of woodworking and construction projects means that we can anticipate a wide variety of outcomes such as:

• Engagement with the outside world.
• Showing an interest in the world in which they live.
• Learning about the needs of living things.
• Understanding that the owner has a responsibility to meet the needs of domesticated animals so they remain healthy and happy.
• Showing care and concern for living things and the environment.
• Links with the science curriculum (esp. biology).