Why teachers visit Magdalen Farm for a school trip

Every year we ask all our visitors to let us know what they think about their trip to Magdalen. In fact, we do it after every single visit via a short survey because we value customer feedback and we want to maintain our quality standards.

If you have visited us in the past 12 months you’ll be familiar with the questions. We’ve analysed all the feedback over the 2016/17 school year - so, what brought teachers to Magdalen - and were their objectives met?

Who responded to our survey?

55% of our feedback came from primary school teachers so, if you happen to be planning a trip for your primary school, this is going to be particularly relevant. As well as primary schools, we also had responses from colleges, universities, special needs groups and young carer groups.

What brought them to Magdalen?

82% visited us to enjoy a residential stay, with activities provided by us. This wasn’t a huge surprise as schools make up a big part of our visitor numbers. In fact, over the past year we’ve enjoyed visits from 67 schools - from as far away as 200 miles. Other popular activities included school day trips, conferences, venue hire and self-catering holidays.

What did they like most?

As any teacher will know, there is a lot of planning involved before you even get to your school trip destination. 78% of respondents rated our organisation before the visit as excellent, and 75% thought it was excellent while they were here, along with the knowledge of our tutors. However, the highest rating went to their enjoyment of the Magdalen staff - who received an 89% rating of excellence.

What was most important in deciding to visit?

We are a working organic farm and while 41% of visitors said it was nice, but not essential, 38% thought it was important. However, the main reasons were due to things we’ve become known for. 65% thought the fact that our dorms are not shared with other groups was very important, 62% felt the same way about our range of activities and 55% rated our ability to tailor their visit to their specific needs as very important.

What were the favourite parts of their visit?

We asked an open question here, respondents could enter what they wanted. Here are a few of their comments:

“Daily activities - kids loved all of them and so did we. Food was exceptional both in quality and quantity.”

“All our pupils thoroughly enjoyed all aspects - the chance for them to learn about where food comes from / the natural environment / and to just be outdoors and active was fantastic.”

“The atmosphere, the location, friendliness of staff, great layout of the building, wonderful space.”

“Flexibility of all staff to suit the particular needs of our group. Wonderful environment and seeing how much the children gained from their time at Magdalen Farm.”

“The children loved the contact with the animals and really listened to the information about these.”

Teacher’s feedback via email

We also find that teachers want to email us after their visit. Here are just a few from the last school year - names have been left out for confidentiality reasons.

Teacher from a school on a day trip

“The sessions were very informative and were delivered in a very fun and relaxed way. It was the perfect way for children to cement their learning in the different areas, which you so carefully took the time to include in the itinerary. It was also the perfect way for me to finish the school year with my wonderful class!”

“We had such a great day and children have repeatedly stated that it was 'the best school trip ever!'...I would have to agree!”

Headteacher from special needs school

“The staff at Magdalen are totally inclusive; they ensure all of my kids can participate in all areas of the farm. They build their confidence, alongside their skills. I cannot praise them highly enough and that is why, despite tightening budget restrictions, we afford this activity year on year.”

Were their objectives met?

We were delighted to see that the question ‘do you feel that your objectives have been met from your experience at Magdalen?’ received a 100% response of ‘Yes’. That’s probably the most important measure of all for teachers (and of great satisfaction to us).

For more information

If you would like to find out more about visiting Magdalen Farm with your school, please see our School Trips & Learning page, or contact us with any questions.

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