The Field Days
This year in Wiltshire, 124 children aged 7-10 years old from 4 schools, were invited to 4 half-day on-farm sessions on Tuesday 19th May and Wednesday 20th May 2026. These were held at Gardners Farm owned by Ashton & Ann Hawker, a dairy farm in Hullavington, just north of Chippenham. In an area dominated by large-scale arable farms, we were excited to be able to offer local children a visit to a local commercial dairy farm milking over 450 cows, rearing calves for beef and replacement milking heifers.
The schools that attended were:-
- Hullavington Primary
- Redland Primary
- Langley Fitzurse
- Monkton Park
The Field Days were made possible by an amazing group of volunteers and wildlife enthusiasts who provided expert input and helped with the range of activities for the children looking at ‘Life on a Dairy Farm’. The 3 activities run were:
- Calf to cow life cycle – from birth to a milking cow
- Milk products – making butter by hand, understanding the nutritional value of milk and the variety of products made from milk
- Hedgerow flora and fauna – identifying bugs and plants within the field hedgerow and the importance of hedges as a habitat
Each participating school received a visit from the co-ordinator before the field day which involved a practical session to engage and focus the children, to maximise their learning during the field day, as well as answering any questions from children & staff about the day.
The visit to the farm allowed the children to connect with their environment, landscape and the wildlife habitats around them. The activities aimed to give an understanding of how farming and wildlife are linked. Emphasis was placed on the food chain, ecosystems and life cycles within the natural environment.
The children learnt by discovering for themselves. They were encouraged to use their five senses, to ask questions, get their hands dirty and most of all to have fun whilst learning!
The Research Project
Back in the classroom the children did further research on the themes of the field day and had six weeks to prepare a table-top display that was entered into a competition. This was a team effort that allowed the children to develop ideas and explore their natural environment at school and at home. The focus of the display was led by the children so that they could follow the topics thar sparked their interest, giving room for them to follow their own ideas. Cross-curricular activities were strongly encouraged to extend learning through science, art, literacy, maths and design & technology.
The Award Ceremony
The school children and teachers then presented their displays to a panel of judges from farming and wildlife backgrounds to compete for the KAS Trophy in July. Judging the winning school was extremely difficult this year, but they were judged against set criteria that included a demonstration of understanding of the themes the children had learnt about on their field day.
The Kingfisher Award trophy was then presented to the winning school and all the other schools received prizes, vouchers and wildlife books for their school library.
The winning school in 2026 of the prestigious Kingfisher trophy and other prizes was Year 4 at Monkton Park Primary school.
