Our education team at the MacRobert Farming and Rural Skills Centre here on Dumfries House Estate have two fantastic and unique workshops to offer secondary pupils this winter. Working with our team in our state-of-the-art teaching facility, pupils will be introduced to a range of farming skills and knowledge through hands-on and close-up practice. Don’t worry… we provide the wellies! Further information on the workshops can be found below.
Our school education workshops support the delivery of The Curriculum For Excellence, and many of our activities are based outdoors on our 2,000 acre estate, making use of our natural spaces to inspire learning. The King’s Foundation works in harmony with the natural world, and as such our workshops also touch upon the UN Sustainable Development goals and support learning for sustainability.
Practical Farming: Introduction to Livestock Husbandry
In this workshop learners will be introduced to how Cattle and Sheep are farmed in the UK; the strict welfare regulations that ensure the health of animals around the country and the techniques that farmers use day-to-day in order to handle their animals safely. This will be a hands-on experience with opportunities for learners to work with livestock up close using our new state-of-the-art handling facilities.
Farming for our Future: Introduction to Regenerative and Sustainable Farming
In this workshop, pupils will be able to engage in a hands-on educational experience surrounding soil health and regenerative farming practices for a sustainable future. Pupils will investigate soil health, habitats and the species we have here at Dumfries House. They will build on their knowledge of soil to develop their understanding of regenerative farming, and how this links to the wider sustainable practices.
Important note regarding working with livestock
Our Rural Skills workshops are designed to involve working with livestock in our Education Byre. For insurance purposes we can only allow those aged 14 and over to work with our livestock. If any of your pupils are aged 13 and under, you are welcome to book this workshop, however please note working with livestock will not be included on the day and the workshop will be tweaked to suit. If your group includes pupils aged 13 and under please ensure you indicate this in the booking questionnaire. If you would like to discuss this further before booking, please contact us at dh.education@kings-foundation.org
Our workshops can accommodate a maximum of 20 pupils. For smaller groups, there is a 12-pupil minimum number required to run our Rural Skills workshops. If you wish to discuss anything with regards to these workshops prior to booking, please contact us: dh.education@kings-foundation.org or call us on 01290 429918
There is no charge for this workshop.
For a video tour of the estate and education buildings follow this link.
Transport
We have two estate minibuses that can be booked at very competetive prices by emailing dh.education@kings-foundation.org (subject to availability). These minibuses are charged per mileage and seat a maximum of 15 passengers including your staff.
Please note that many of our workshops take place outdoors and as such pupils and staff should attend ready for the weather. Full PPE will be provided for all workshops taking place in our education byre where pupils are in contact with livestock.
