Home-educated children receive an outdoors approach to learning

Founded in 2016, FarmEco is best described as a Community Benefit Society located amongst the picturesque scene of Screventon in Nottinghamshire. The farm places its emphasis on community, stretching out its network of volunteers and farming enthusiasts. FarmEco also hosts an array of events, including weekly, not-for-profit, sessions for home-educated children on Mondays and Thursdays. 

This hands-on approach to learning provides young people and parents the opportunity to interact with nature. The scheme has been open for just under a year, though has been met with growing levels of traction and success. Behind the scheme is Wayne Singleton – a Nottinghamshire based former Fish & Chip Van co-owner and his wife, who set up the programme after noticing the clear need for such a network. 

I spoke with Wayne Singleton to learn more about the scheme and how it has managed to radically touch the hearts of so many home-educated young people within Nottinghamshire. 

You seem very passionate about gardening and finding ways to connect with nature. Where does this personal interest come from? 

Wayne: Both my grandparents were interested in gardening. One of them is a market gardener. One of them always had an allotment, but I didn’t take much notice as a child. Ironically, they’re not here anymore, and I wish they were, because I’d ask them a million questions. 

Probably when I had kids and you started thinking more about what they are eating. And then COVID happened, that’s the first time I ever grew something myself at home; made a little mini allotment and grew from there. 

Last year I got my allotment and I went for it, and it was ridiculously successful – way more successful than I ever thought it would be. That’s it really – it sort of started from there, and it did so well that I wanted a bigger allotment, and a bigger allotment doing more and more. But then you realise that allotments are great but they’re quite lonely. 

What are your main roles and responsibilities? 

Wayne: So I’m the new activities lead at Farm Eco. My job is essentially to control the activities that go on at the farm, bring people together. We’re trying to do a project at the moment, which is called Growing Communities. My focus is on delivering activities which help grow micro communities that can form a bigger collective community at Farm Eco. dependent on your interests and stuff. 

What does it actually look like when you’re bringing those communities together? 

Wayne: The first thing is outreach – trying to find people, because it’s harder than you think to actually just have people turn up. Believe it or not, Farm Eco, even though it’s a 60-acre site, is not massively well known, which is definitely our biggest barrier. 

My role is only funded for three years, so our idea is to build these communities so that they can essentially become a part of FarmEco and run themselves independently if I wasn’t there. 

Where are you finding these groups to reach out to? 

Wayne: I sort of took control of the social media side of things at the moment. We’re starting to get traction primarily through regular posting and sharing in local groups. 

Social media is the main avenue we’re using. I’ve just done an article in a couple of local parish magazines to get them. We’re finding it easier to get the older generation than it is to get the younger generation. Even though, ironically, it’s the younger generation that need it more right now. 

I’ve only been in the job seven or eight weeks so that’s the avenue I’m trying. I’ll tell you in six months what works. 

How did you go about setting up the homeschooling scheme? 

Wayne: What happened was my wife and I home-educated, because my oldest one, who’s eight, has extra needs at school and he really struggled. We went to a few festivals last year, and we went to a place called Crops Not Shops in Glastonbury. I went there and I was like ‘I want to do this, but with home-educated children.’ 

I came back from that festival and put a post on Facebook saying ‘does anyone know  a farmer that will rent me an acre of land.’ A few people pointed me towards David Rose at Farm Eco. I did a recording walking around the farm saying ‘this is what I want to set up’ 

Within three weeks we had 450 adult members. We opened it in August last year, and I think the first day we had 46 people show up. We’re getting between 25 and 35 people all day Monday and Thursday. Generally, the same people now and the community’s formed. 

It’s not for profit, we charge £5 a family purely to build up a kitty to buy what we need. The seeds, the refreshments, bits and bobs like that. 

Could you tell me more about the activities you run? What does a typical session look like? 

Wayne: On any given day you might have a kid learning guitar, a couple gardening, someone whittling a stick to make it something. My wife’s quite crafty, so she brings craft. We’ve also got a music teacher in the group who brings an instrument and other kids bring theirs. It’s really the parents bringing their own skill sets and doing their own thing. 

“I can’t believe I’ve got my child back” 

What would you say are the main benefits of the scheme that you can not receive with mainstream education? 

Wayne: The biggest benefit by far is the community aspect, without a doubt; especially for home-educating families, because the home education community is huge but very dispersed. 

What has been the largest surprise so far? 

Wayne: The biggest surprise for me was seeing children who really struggled, who weren’t in school because of SEN needs and things like that. They wouldn’t even speak to you the first time you met them, and now they’re completely out of their shell. They’re comfortable in the surroundings, and it could make you cry. 

The most common thing a parent has said is ‘I can’t believe I’ve got my child back.’ I can resonate with that because my son, when he was at school, struggled so much, and became a different child at home. Coming here and doing this (especially being out in nature in the woodland) that’s the child I know. 

When you see him laughing, comfortable, talking to other adults that’s been the biggest benefit of the group, by far. 

“More education should be done outside” 

In your view, what changes might help young people build a stronger connection with nature? 

Wayne: More education should be done outside. I think it would achieve so much. I remember, in year six at junior school, I had a great teacher and one day when it was really hot we did a lesson outside. I remember that as clearly as day. It’s just different from the fake lighting and temperature fluctuations of a classroom. 

Is there anything else about FarmEco’s work that you think people should know? 

Wayne: So we’ve got the pick and picnic days, various days through August and more in September. There is a launch on the 31st which is open to everyone. We also have regular volunteering on Tuesdays and Fridays for adults from 10am to 12pm. 

The last thing is our Nature Care programme, it’s aimed at people with any kind of need: social anxiety, mental health issues or just loneliness who need help getting back out, communicating, engaging with people, and getting outdoors. 

For more information about FarmEco visit their website