A national competition is seeking to connect 14-16 year olds – an often hard to reach age-group - with farming.
The competition, organised by LEAF Education and Llysfasi College in North Wales, is hoping to connect teenagers with the agricultural industry.
Five schools have beaten off stiff competition from schools across the UK to make it through to the Prize Weekend where they will take part in a series of engaging and educational farm-related activities.
The winning school will be crowned an an 'Innovation School of the Year in Food and Farming'.
During the weekend, the five school teams – each consisting of a teacher and three students aged between 14 and 16 – will experience what it’s like to work on a farm, from sheep shearing and milking cows to riding quad bikes and tractors.
They will also participate in a range of class-based educational activities, looking at the science and technology that’s important to farming today.
The judging panel, featuring representatives from LEAF Education and Llysfasi College, will observe the finalists throughout the weekend, and award marks for enthusiasm, creativity and knowledge of farming.
Reconnect with food
The competition seeks to reconnect teenagers with their food, where it comes from and how it gets to their plates.
It also seeks to enhance their understanding of how farming impacts on their lives and open their eyes to the career opportunities available in the sector.
The competition culminates in a final Prize Weekend, which takes place at Llysfasi College Farm from Friday 29th June until Sunday 1st July.
The five schools through to the LEAF Education competition final and taking part in the Prize Weekend are Ripley St Thomas C of E Academy, Lancaster; St Christopher's Church of England High School, Accrington; Priestlands School, Pennington, Lymington, Hampshire; The Queen Elizabeth Academy, Atherstone; Reddish Vale High School, Stockport.
