PUPILS in year five of Minehead Middle School (MMS), split into two groups for a visit to the Farm School Exmoor, run by the Colwill family, near Exford.

Coombe Farm has diversified to offer a hands-on farming experience to students, providing an action-packed two days for the Minehead school.

The students were greeted by Serena Colwill and her team, who led the walk from the bus drop off in the middle of Exford, through the farms fields before a stop for a team building exercise.

The students were then encouraged to ‘get digging’ and spent time learning about the importance of good quality soil, with many bugs being found.

A short walk led them to the top of the locally-named ‘sledging field’, and once safely at the bottom, the group split into two, with half staying to play games to learn about the farm’s food production and farming in the UK.

The others saw the different stages of a chicken's life, from holding chicks, seeing the poults, and finally feeding Fred the cockerel and hens before the students spent time looking at the pond life.

After the groups had swapped, lunch gave them an opportunity to sample farm-reared and home-produced sausages, beef, lamb, and hardboiled eggs.

Following lunch, there was a wildflower identification session and a stop to learn more about the farm’s sheep and lambs.

Key stage two head Karen Nelson said: “The trip was truly enriching and wonderful, a fantastic opportunity for our students to learn beyond the classroom.

“We are proud to work closely with our local communities and are committed to offering new and memorable experiences that support our children’s growth and development.

“A huge thank you to Serena and her team at Farm School Exmoor and all the MMS staff who made this trip possible.”