Essex Schools Food and Farming Day – Wednesday 6th June2018

Essex Agricultural Society would like to invite you to our11thEssex Schools Food and Farming Day to be held at Writtle College on WEDNESDAY 6TH June 2018.

The event is strictly for KS2children from years 4, 5 and 6

What you need to know:

  • Entry to the event is free to schools under Essex County Council; however, Independent Schools, Academies and schools who come under Thurrock or Southend carry a cost of £4 per child.
  • Places are allocated in January.
  • Schools that are allocated places will be contacted in JANUARY via e-mail and we will require you to send a deposit to secure your booking. This deposit amount will be £50 and will be reimbursed to the school after the event as long as the terms and conditions are adhered to. If however you are unable to attend and pull out, the deposit will be kept towards administration costs.PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED A PLACE.
  • Independent schools, academies and schools under Thurrock or Southend who are allocated places will be asked in JANUARY to pay the full amount in order to secure their booking, along with a £50 refundable deposit. If however you are unable to attend and pull out, or do not adhere to the terms and conditions, the £50 deposit will not be returned.
  • This event relies on funding and we thank Essex County Council for their continued financial support and Writtle University College for the use of their grounds.
  • The aim of the day is to give children a better understanding of where their food comes from and the role agriculture plays in shaping the Essex countryside. This visit links with many areas of the curriculum. The event consists of five zones, each of which encompasses a key element of the food and farming story with a range of interactive activities and demonstrations. School groups will be assigned a “Farmer Steward” to guide them around the event and ensure that they gain maximum benefit from each exhibit. You can visit our website and view footage of last year's event.Please note this is an outdoor event.
  • There are four arrival and departure times to the event. These are allocated in March.
  • Transport: It is important that all schools note they are required to arrange and fund their own transport to and from the event.
  • Please also note that for health and safety reasons, children cannot be dropped off in cars.
  • We endeavour to arrange parking for disabled children and mini buses.

To be considered for places: please visit our website, where you can download an application form. You can send your application form by e-mail to or post it to Karen Watson, Organiser and School Liaison Officer, Essex Agricultural Society, 3 Torrells Hall Cottages, Willingale, Ongar, Essex, CM5 0SP.

IMPORTANT: ALL correspondence from us to you will be through e-mail, please make sure when completing the booking form, you enter the e-mail address you wish ALLcorrespondence to be sent to throughout the months leading up to the event, this should preferably be a school e-mail address and not a personal one. You will also find documentation pertaining to the event available to download from our website.

Places to the event are limited, so please ensure your application form is sent back as soon as possible, but no later than Friday 8th December 2017. We will contact you towards the end ofJanuary to let you know whether your school has been allocated places. In the meantime, if you need any further information please contact Karen.

Due to the huge success of last year's scarecrow competition, we will also be asking schools who are allocated places to take part in our 2018 scarecrow competition.

Best Wishes Karen Watson: 07545861189

e-mail: