Englefield Estate’s annual Schools Days see the grounds of Englefield House, the deer park and the village transformed into an impressive outdoor classroom, offering lessons in farming, horticulture and forestry.

The two-day event welcomes thousands of children and features over 25 activities and demonstrations.

The stands offer informative displays and interactive demonstrations, led by Estate staff and wonderful local organisations. The topics covered during the day are: health and wellbeing; history; habitats and wildlife; trees and timber; farming and food; community and energy and water.

Primary schools in Berkshire receive an invitation to attend, free of charge. All that is required is for schools to arrange their own transport to the event.

The Schools Days concept was inspired by Sir William – the father of current Estate owner, Richard Benyon - who wanted to invite local school children to discover more about the Estate, its history and activities. He also wanted to help them to enjoy learning about the countryside and what is involved in helping to make it a great place to live, work and enjoy.

The first event in 1997 hosted 315 children from five schools in Berkshire. In 2024, 34 schools attended, bringing over 1,500 pupils. We're looking forward to welcoming children for Schools Days in 2025.

Schools Days has been awarded the Sandford Award from the Heritage Education Trust:

“The Schools Days at Englefield Estates offer pupils exciting, interactive and memorable experiences that have a powerful effect on their understanding and appreciation of sustainability. The beautiful landscape and impressive Englefield House provide an excellent setting for exploring local heritage and the natural environment. The Benyon family, the Estate staff and the partner organisations together generously share their knowledge and passion with schools to facilitate thoughtful engagement and meaningful learning. The Schools Days are supremely well-organised to be safe, accessible and inspirational.”

If you want to learn more, contact Education and Environment Officer Liz Mattison on education@englefield.co.uk or 0118 930 2504.

View the Teacher Handbook for 2024 here.

View the Content Summary and Learning Objectives for 2024 here.

To support classroom learning before and after your Schools Days visit, you can find great resources at the following links:

• Honey Bees: https://www.bbka.org.uk/listing/category/bees-in-the-curriculum
• Forestry Education: https://www.forestryengland.uk/learning
• Rivers: https://www.rgs.org/schools/resources-for-schools/rivers
• Hedgerow Detective Key Stage 2 activity: https://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/hedgerow-detective-ks2-teachers-powerpoint/
• Farming, Wildlife and Your School Grounds: https://www.countrysideclassroom.org.uk/resources/1443
• Romans in Britain: https://www.romansrevealed.com/
• The Museum of English Rural Life: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/learn/schools-and-colleges/learning-resources/
• Historic England: https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/classroom-resources/
• Gardening and Horticulture: https://schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/resources
• The Water Cycle and Water Treatment: https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/responsibility/education
• Farming and Food: https://education.nfuonline.com/
• The Countryside Code: https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/countryside-code-resources-and-activities/
• British Bats: https://www.bats.org.uk/resources/education-outreach-resources/resources-for-teachers-youth-leaders/explore-the-world-of-bat-conservation-through-the-national-curriculum

Watch our videos about food, farming and the countryside below: