Whirlow Hall Farm Trust jobs and careers

About Whirlow Hall Farm Trust

Whirlow Hall Farm Trust is an education and environmental charity based on a working upland farm on the outskirts of Sheffield. It exists to nurture, inspire and expand horizons for children and young people. Farming, horticulture and the countryside are used to enhance and underpin existing educational and vocational provision, or to re-engage those who have been excluded from mainstream education. Whirlow provides a place for children and young people who experience complex and debilitating anxieties. They are suffering due to living in challenging circumstances and struggling to cope with one or several additional learning needs. This, along with trying to navigate hectic school environments with their many social and academic pressures leads to disengagement in education, negative behaviours and lack of relationships with both adults and peers. The children and young people we support are facing a complex combination of difficulties, including medical and mental health conditions, learning needs and disabilities, and heart-breaking personal circumstances. Whether our students are living with cancer, anxiety, autism or ADHD; overcoming neglect or coping with bereavement, our unique farm provides a safe, nurturing environment that equips them with the tools to learn, grow in confidence, build self-esteem and resilience. The immediate impact our unique setting has on our students’ well being cannot be overstated. Our tranquil setting provides an immediate relief to their daily, intolerable sensory overload. Our aim is to support them to re-engage with education which could be returning to their school and being more engaged, moving on to a new school, starting at a special school or gaining qualifications to move onto further education.