Outdoor Education
in the Cotswolds

“From the moment you set foot in the woods, a magic descends and the sight of a crackling fire under a canopy through the trees stirs your heart.”

-Bisley Blue Coat School

Copsegrove Farm School Visits

We offer a wonderful and personal rustic alternative to the usual commercial school trip. A day at Copsegrove Farm is fundamentally about experiencing a day out in the countryside. It is about escaping technology, classrooms and playgrounds. It’s about getting muddy, rosy cheeked and sitting around a camp fire.

It provides a valuable and rare opportunity for children to experience hands-on learning and traditional old fashioned fun in the great outdoors, whilst also in the context of a working farm.

Outdoor Education in the cotswolds. Farm day out in the cotswolds. Children and adults gathered under a tarp in the woods for an outdoor classroom session.
Large tree with thick branches and people observing a herd of black cattle in a field.

We are a family run livestock farm of about 320 acres, nestled in the Stroud valleys on the edge of Bisley. Animal welfare and conservation are both at the forefront of our farming.

Visits are delivered by Kate Bankes, an experienced qualified teacher with a PGCE in Secondary Science and with 20 years experience of outdoor education and farming. Kate is also paediatric first aid trained.

A day will typically include a balance of curriculum linked activities with a forest school twist.

Days are tailor made for each group visit, based on an initial consultation with the teaching staff involved, usually involving a preliminary visit to the school, or/with a visit out to the farm if teachers prefer.

School visits to Copsegrove Farm are suitable for reception all the way up to year 6, with a maximum group size of around 30.

Your Day

Your programme will include a mix of activities tailored for your school after an initial discussion with you, from an extensive menu developed from 20 years experience of running successful visits. Anything and everything from the curriculum can be covered in a way in which children are engaged, busy, actively learning and having fun.

Activities will be adapted accordingly for the age group of children and size of group. The setting for your programme is a beautiful old mixed woodland, with prolific garlic, bluebells and a large jungle like area of Laurels. There is also a covered area if wet.

Black cow standing in a grassy field with trees and a stone wall in the background.
Group of people walking in a field, carrying backpacks and some holding flags, in a black-and-white photo.

The structure of a typical day at Copsegrove Farm is:

• Arrival in Bisley: We will be there on your arrival to meet your coach.

• We walk you into the farm, just a 5 minute stroll.

• Welcome to Copsegrove Farm: What goes on here? Copsegrove's composting loos with views!

• Walk to the woods, just a 10 minute stroll: Safety in the woods around the camp fire.

• Time to explore: An initial activity enabling children to get to know the woods and explore.

• Snacktime: Fruit and toasted marshmallows by the fire.

• Activity 1: Tailored from a range of possible activities.

• Packed Lunches by the fire.

• Activity 2: Tailored from a range of possible activities.

• Best bits of the day by the fire.

• Walk back to Bisley to catch the coach.

Activities are adapted for the age group of children and size of group, after consultation with teaching staff.

Depending upon your arrival and departure time, there may be more activity slots.

The day is basic, rustic, but full of character! A full risk assessment is provided, and there is hot water from flasks with copious amounts of anti-bacterial soap for hand washing.

 Your Visit

Team Building Activities:

  • The Tennis Ball Run

  • Hula Hoop

  • Walk of Trust

  • Walk the Plank

  • Circle of Trust

  • Mini Rafts/Stretchers/Music Making

  • The Tightrope Challenge!

  • Visit to a badger sett

Themes:

  • WW2 Evacuation

  • The Stone Age

  • Vikings

  • Romans

  • The Great Fire of London

  • Survival in the Woods

  • Woodland Art

  • Food Foraging and Feasting

  • Mini Beasts

  • Super Heros

  • Farming, Food Production and Climate Change

  • Woodland Crafts

  • Team Building

  • Stick-man

  • The Woodland Habitat

  • Great Green Giants

  • Egypt

Activities:

  • My Funny Feely Bag

  • Woodland Art

  • Scavenger Hunts

  • Mini Beast Hunts

  • Pitfall Traps

  • Den Building

  • Camp Fire Cooking

  • Map reading and grid reference skills

  • Animal Skulls

  • Food chains and food web activities

  • Tree Studies and ID

  • Classification and use of identification keys

  • Pond Dipping

Woodland Crafts:

  • Charcoal - making a charcoal pencil.

  • Lashings

  • Whittling

  • Fire Lighting

  • Wattle & Daub

The Copsegrove menu of activities is almost endless, and Kate is always happy to develop new activities where necessary to fulfil teachers’ wishes, wants and requirements for their day.

Kate is always up for the challenge of taking on new topics or themes, and relishes the opportunity to work with teachers to create a programme that will support and bring to life school topics in the great outdoors.

Teachers Resources

Teachers Information Pack

View and download all the documents you need for your visit, including our Teachers Information Pack and full Risk Assessment, as well as information about funding from Natural England.

Our free Teachers Information Pack contains all the detailed information you need for a successful school visit to Copsegrove. Please click on the link below:

Copsegrove Farm's Teachers Information Pack

Costs

Copsegrove adopt a slightly flexible costing policy, whereby the cost per child will vary from £7.75 to £11 per day, depending upon class size, programme chosen, materials required for the day, and length of visit. We hope this helps enable all schools to come and visit! A minimum day fee is applicable with some classes. Kate will advise on pricing for your particular visit.

Health & Safety

Copsegrove also provide full health and safety documentation for your visit to the farm. Please click on the links below to view the documents:

Risk Assessment

In Case of Emergency

Basic Firelighting Risk Assessment

Pond Dipping Risk Assessment

Please ensure that all the adults accompanying children on your visit to the farm have seen a copy of these Heath and Safety documents and are familiar with their content.

After the trip

We would be grateful if you could spare a minute at the end of your day to complete our Evaluation Form. This helps us to continually improve the experiences that we give the children during their day at Copsegrove Farm. Please click on the link below to view or download a copy:

Copsegrove Farm Evaluation Form

“Every child should have a Copsegrove to visit.”

— Stroud Valleys Primary School, Summer 2024

“For the last 20 years we have been hosting school visits from primary schools throughout the county. We have developed strong relationships with many of these schools, welcoming staff and children back time and time again, year upon year, for more memorable Copsegrove experiences.”

— Martin & Kate Bankes, Copsegrove Farm

School Reviews

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