PUPILS at Salford Priors C of E Academy in Evesham have started a new education programme with local berry grower Angus Soft Fruits.

Tied to the National Curriculum, the programme provides a hands-on learning experience for pupils covering agriculture, healthy eating, the local industry and the wider berry growing business. Each of the lessons have been designed to complement the school’s core curriculum, helping to develop the pupils’ skills in subjects such as literacy, numeracy, science, geography, and languages.

Three times a year the pupils will be given a tour of Angus Soft Fruits’ main growing and packing facility in Salford Priors; Orchard Farm. The pupils will see first-hand how berries are grown and then packed for distribution and how new berry varieties are developed and perfected, while also learning about the business and the wider berry-growing industry.

For the past year, Angus Soft Fruits has delivered weekly punnets of fresh berries to the primary school to help promote healthy eating and nutrition. As part of the new education programme these deliveries will continue, further supporting the long-term health of the pupils.

Paula Dhugga, Head of School at Salford Priors C of E Academy said: “We’re so grateful to Angus Soft Fruits for developing this new programme. It is incredibly important to teach children from a young age about the benefits of healthy eating and Angus Soft Fruits have managed to do this in a fun and interactive way. This morning, the children were learning all about the growing systems and the plants. They picked fruit straight from the cane and drank fruit smoothies made from berries from the farm – something they’d never usually get to do.”

“All lessons are tied with the National Curriculum, providing a unique learning opportunity for the pupils, and they’re already looking forward to the next visit to Orchard Farm early in the new year.”

Jill Witheyman, Marketing Manager for Angus Soft Fruits said: “We’re so pleased to be working with Salford Priors C of E Primary School, based only a five-minute walk from Orchard Farm. The central ambition of the new education programme is to provide a hands-on learning experience for pupils of Salford Priors C of E Academy, specifically teaching them about healthy eating, agriculture and various aspects of the berry business, helping to forge closer links with the community.

“The programme is tied to the National Curriculum so one week pupils could be learning the science behind how strawberry plants grow and the next, about the different languages spoken across the world by our colleagues, and the technical processes involved in packing, processing and distributing the fruit.

“Our weekly fresh berry deliveries have been in place for a year now and are going down a treat! Healthy eating is a central part of this programme and now the pupils can enjoy freshly picked berries every day of the week.”