Re-engage & Re-inspire Programme
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Our re-engage and re-inspire programme for young people from 5 – 19 years has gone from strength to strength. We are so proud of the good work that is happening and the wonderful people we get to spend time on the hill with. It is so rewarding to see what has been created here being used as such a positive force in young people’s lives.

Husbandry School 1:1 programme

The Husbandry School aims to nurture the building blocks of self esteem, and to provide the tools to self regulate social, emotional and behavioural interactions. Standing firmly on a solid foundation of respect and self-worth, in an environment that is designed to re-engage and re-inspire all in the process of learning.

We offer a therapeutic education placement in order to re-engage and re-inspire students with learning.

Students experience a very structured and ordered day where the rules and need for action become very real and apparent i.e. hungry goats…everyone’s responsibility to feed them etc. This hands on approach, in our experience, allows the students very quickly to transfer this seen need for rules and taking personal responsibility for actions into the rest of their lives.

The experience of preparing and sharing a meal together every day is the foundation block for reinforcing sharing, a sense of fairness, giving and receiving and positive social interactions.
The practical nature of the programme also puts core subjects into real world context; maths and science become useful to the activity you are doing and the results and successes are tangible.
The feedback that we have from schools and parents/carers is also that there is a marked increase in the student’s self-esteem and quiet calm reflectiveness.

Our activities include the following. This is not an exhaustive list – the nature of the one to one teaching allows for tailoring of activities to individual needs working alongside their adult mentor.

  • Animal care
  • Land work
  • Rural skills
  • Horticulture
  • Nature study and Conservation
  • Mixed media arts and Textiles
  • Food, nutrition and cooking
 

First steps

Contact us to be sent our referral form. Complete and return it, we can then arrange a pre programme access visit by students and parent/carers. This allows student and involved adults to know what is on offer and also to access particular areas of interest and needs.

Placement structure

Best practice service level agreement for a one academic year placement.
In some circumstances a termly placement. Continuation to be confirmed one half term ahead.

Hours

09:30 – 15:00
Term time only.

Testimonials

In just 3 months (2 days a week), you have transformed our son into a child who has a sense of belonging, purpose, and genuine love for all the learning he does at The Husbandry School. He comes homes each week a font of knowledge about animals, plants, cookery, woodwork and so much more. He is more confident and able to communicate his feelings and interact more with others. We, as parents, love visiting the school on volunteer days. The whole place is simply magical and we are so thrilled that we have the privilege to send our son there. Words cant explain just how much we value all the dedicated staff do there and how we have a happy son back.

Anonymous Parent/Carer

My child came to The Husbandry School when things had gone really wrong for him at school. He is now enjoying full time mainstream school after more than 2 years out of full time education. I cannot imagine how we would have got there without the support of The Husbandry School and the skill and expertise of the staff there. Love to you all, we miss you!

Anonymous Parent/Carer

We would live to thank you all for welcoming J into the Husbandry School family. If you hadn't taken a chance on him and truly believed in him like we do he wouldn't be where he is today. He has thrived and flourished since his time with you and is very proud in himself in what he has achieved. Thank you and we hope you continue to make such huge changes for other young people for years to come!

Anonymous Parent/Carer

“I have worked with young people in various roles for 14 years, I am currently the Registered Manager of a local Children’s home. The Husbandry School is by far and away the best alternative education provision I have come across. It affords unique and wonderful experiences for young people who would struggle to cope in more conventional educational settings.  The value of the Husbandry School is so hard to put into words because it is so different from other settings I have experienced. If you are thinking, “Oh yes this is a forest school” as I assumed before I visited, please go and experience it because you would be very wrong, it is so very much more than that. It provides a safe, consistent, nurturing, and frankly excellent educational experience to the young people who are lucky enough to go there. Most importantly it is a vital educational lifeline for young people who really need it and benefit greatly. All this, and in the most incredible rural setting looking out over Dartmoor……..what’s not to love!”

Jeremy

“I visited the Husbandry school many times in 2017 as part of research project and I was always heartened by their approach to working with children. Carole and Jonty openly take the child and their family into their home, treat them with respect and nurture and support every aspect of their lives including their learning, emotional wellbeing, and their social and physical environments. As a result it is so apparent that the young people and their families who visit the Husbandry school feel held and supported and I believe this has a very real and positive impact on their lives”

Dr Kitty Howarth, Educational and Child Psychologist

“The Husbandry School is an environment that empowers young people to be their best selves and encourages them to be the experts in their own lives. It is the first place I suggest when young people find aspects of their life challenging or where mainstream settings cannot successfully meet their needs. Their safe, consistent, holistic approach delivers outstanding outcomes in terms of facilitating creative changes and improving the lives of young people and their families”

Jane, Social Worker, Devon Youth Offending Service

A massive thanks for sharing your wonderful school, passion and lifelong commitment to the children in your care. It is a wonderful place and I can why you all reap the rewards of what you have created on site. It was such an exciting visit for me and I returned to school extolling your praise. Our team were all impassioned from my visit feedback. So thank you again for sharing your time with me and helping me gather some really great tips for our own practice.

Anon

To hear more about our approach & placements, listen to our School Lead & Founder, Carole Williams, discussing our Re-engage & Re-inpsire programme on Spotify here.

Research

The purpose of phase one of this research study is to uncover whether attendance at the Husbandry school impacts positively upon outcomes for young people and their families. Furthermore, to examine the approaches used at the Husbandry School.

In Summary it was found that the Husbandry school did impact positively on outcomes for young people and their families particularly in terms of the young person’s education, family life, emotional wellbeing, behaviour, and independence skills.

Background Information:
The evaluation described here has been commissioned by Devon County Council (DCC) and carried out by the Babcock LDP Educational Psychology Service. The basis of the work was to examine whether attendance at the Husbandry School in Bickington, Devon, had a positive impact on outcomes for young people and their families and if so, to investigate the approaches used at the Husbandry School to facilitate these outcomes.

Download the research document here (.pdf):