Ooutdoor trips can be a nightmare for schools these days, with all that paper work to fill in, the cost of coaches and the need to risk assess everything. Sandwell's two farms have just become CEVAS accredited, which means that they have passed inspection under the Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme. If you want to know more about CEVAS, how it works and what it means in real terms from a teacher's point of view, have a look at the following link.

• More information about CEVAS

Learning can be fun when you visit Sandwell Valley as part of an organised group.

Whether you want to learn about history, food and farming, animals, discover more about how things grow, or find out all about the environment, there are plenty of opportunities here for everyone to learn.

Activities on the farm depend on the season and the age of the children involved, we also run garden tours, planting and finding out about how things grow in the greenhouses.

If you go out in the woods with Sandwell's Countryside Rangers you could play environmental games, or go pond dipping and discover monsters of the deep like this dragonfly larva.

Schools can download a PDF copy of our education pack.

We are now fully booked for the Summer term 2008, to book your visit for the Autumn Term or 2009,  please ring 0121 553 0220 or email john.stokes@sandwell.gov.uk, but be quick, as places are limited and fill up quickly.