Flatford Mill field centre School Trip
Field Studies Council
Residential Trip Residentials East of England
-Enjoy and learn from staying in our internationally important buildings such as Willy Lotts’ House, (built in the 1500’s and made famous by John Constable’s ‘Haywain’ painting), Valley Farm (a medieval great hall built in the 1450’s) and of course the Mill itself that was owned and renovated by the Constable family in the 1700’s.-Field Studies Council courses are created carefully to link to curriculum requirements. You can liase with your tutor to tailor content to fit in with work back in the classroom.
- Teaching staff are passionate and experienced.
- Field Studies Council take care of everything once you arrive; comfortable accommodation, all your meals (residential visits) plus transport during the course.
-Different price bands are offered through the year to offer value for money.
- Flatford Mill field centre is part of Field Studies Council, an environmental education charity with 80 years’ experience of providing fieldwork and outdoor learning and a network of UK centres offering day and residential fieldwork opportunities.
-We work in many other ways to create a world where everyone feels connected to the environment including through projects working in local communities and lobbying government to include fieldwork in the curriculum.
Teacher Checklist
Risk Assessments Inspection Visits Free Places for Teachers Bursaries or Funded Places Available Resource Packs LOtC Quality Badge Institute of Outdoor Learning Duke of Edinburgh Award
What activities are available during educational visits?
Flatford Mill has a wide range of activities such as:
Primary: minibeast hunt, pond dipping, hiking, eco-activity, rock climbing, bushcraft, orienteering
Secondary/A level: geography independent investigations, adventurous geography, river study, biology core practicals
Primary: minibeast hunt, pond dipping, hiking, eco-activity, rock climbing, bushcraft, orienteering
Secondary/A level: geography independent investigations, adventurous geography, river study, biology core practicals
Which curriculum topics do we cater for?
Biology School Trip
Plants Animals including humans Living things and habitats Evolution and inheritance Ecology and environment Life Cycles Minibeasts Habitats Underwater Animals and Habitats
Flatford Mill field centre can offer a range of biology courses from KS2 to curriculum-based A level trips. KS2 pupils can look at a range of habitats, learning about microhabitats and how they provide the basic needs for living things. Pupils can learn to identify the different structures of plants and name a variety of common animals. Pupils can go on a mini beast hunt and observe them in their microhabitats.
Human Geography School Trip Click to expand
Settlement and land use Natural resources Population Urbanisation
We offer a range of sessions and courses covering human geography through fieldwork. Most sessions have short classroom sessions before and after.
Human Geography can be covered through fieldwork in a range of sessions and courses.
Depending on the level and course you follow, this may include;
- Discovering the impact of people on the habitat using a range of fieldwork techniques
- Economic Growth and functions
- Regeneration and Placemaking
- Investigate the impact of counter-urbanisation in two contrasting settlements
- A qualitative and a quantitative fieldwork method
- develop an understanding of questions that can be investigated through fieldwork
- data presentation and analysis
Teaching is delivered by fully trained and experienced tutors.
Physical Geography School Trip Click to expand
Water cycles Rivers Map and atlas Environment Coasts and seaside Fieldwork
Geography courses cover KS2 to A level groups. KS2 pupils can use maps, stories and games to explore the woods. Discover the plants and animals that live here and design and build dens.
Our geography fieldwork trips and courses are carefully designed to cover all essential content from the curriculum. We ensure the maximum time outdoors possible, allowing students to take advantage of all benefits resulting from outdoor learning.
The geography fieldwork courses are tailored to curriculum requirements for GCSE, A Level, National, Higher, IB and lower secondary specifications and packed with relevant fieldwork content.
A selection of our popular residential visits to give an idea of what we can offer include:
Rivers - constantly changing, water levels rise and fall after rain and with the seasons. Erosion, transportation and deposition can all alter the characteristics of the channel and the regime of the river
Regeneration - a complex process aiming to turn areas into sustainable, desirable and effective spaces for us to use and enjoy.
Investigations - at a local scale to consider place meaning and representation changing economic function and socio-demographic characteristics of places.
But we can also create a trip that is totally bespoke to your needs.
Teaching is delivered by fully trained and experienced tutors, to create and deliver geography experiences to suit your requirements. Most sessions have short classroom sessions before and after.
Environmental Geography School Trip Click to expand
Extreme Weather Conservation
Environmental geography can be covered through fieldwork in a range of sessions and courses. For KS4 and A level students all courses are linked to the exam board requirements for each subject and the course can be tailored to your specific needs.
Students can cover a range of environmental geography topics looking at different plants and animals.
Dependant on the course you choose, students could have the opportunity to;
- take first hand measurements, make observations of distinctive river land forms found at the fieldwork sites along the river.
- make a comparison of two different areas used to observe the contrasting abundance of plants associated with varying management regimes.
- Investigate how human activity affects biodiversity, local flows, cycles and processes.
Delivered by expert, passionate tutors at the forefront of fieldwork tuition with a wide range of contrasting locations available.
Fieldstudies School Trip Click to expand
Sampling and Statistics Ecosystems Rivers
We offer a range of sessions and courses covering field studies. For KS4 and A level students we link all of our courses to the exam board requirements for each subject and can tailor the course to your specific needs.
Field studies can be covered through fieldwork in a range of sessions and courses.
This can include:
- Sampling Statistics
- Fieldwork Methodology
- Investigation Introduction
- Coastal Environments
- Ecosystems
- Mapping
- River Studies
- Habitats etc
For KS4 and A level students all of our courses are linked to the exam board requirements for each subject and can be tailored to meet your specific needs.
Wildlife School Trip Click to expand
Students will look at a variety of plants and common animals using age appropriate classification keys to identify living things we find in our woodland and in our pond habitats.
Discover what animals and plants can be found in the local area. Pupils have the opportunity to identify a range of plants and invertebrates and investigate how they interact with each other.
Understand that plants play an important role in the survival of animals by looking at simple food chains/webs. They will investigate how living things are adapted to the environment they live in and how their habitats help them to survive. Investigate the structure of a plant and discover their roles. Classify a variety of invertebrates using their features and investigate how they are adapted to their habitat.
Bushcraft School Trip
Identify basic survival needs, explore the woods, build a shelter and forage for wild foods. Follow a woodland trail and search for tracks and signs. A day filled with team building and problem-solving activities.
We offer a range of sessions and courses on bushcraft including den building, fire lighting foraging and more, delivered by fully trained and experienced tutors.
Team Building School Trip Click to expand
An exciting and challenging introduction to the concepts of working well together, using a wide variety of fun activities and puzzles designed to encourage problem solving and teamwork.
Courses fuse fieldwork with outdoor activities to give students the opportunity to explore real geographical contexts in an exciting and engaging way. Our courses allows students to get first-hand experiences of a range of physical landscapes and processes and a unique insight into the interaction of people and the environment.
Individuals undertaking the course will be encouraged to develop their team skills and individual motivation whilst involved in activities that promote a healthy lifestyle.
Celts School Trip
Uncover fascinating local histories through hands-on enquiry. Active participation
and immersive activities guide children through our ancient past hidden within our
modern landscapes.
Explore what life was like as a Celtic warrior, living in tribes that could be found in Western and Central Europe including Britain and Ireland.
Romans School Trip
The Roman Army
Uncover fascinating local histories through hands-on enquiry. Active participation
and immersive activities guide children through our ancient past hidden within our
modern landscapes.
Explore what life was like as a Roman soldier! Marching from Rome, against the celts, imagine being part of this great civilisation, as the invading Roman forces swept through East Anglia and prepare for battle! Emerse yourself in the life of a Roman soldier, as we obtain a feel for their way of life from the mosaics, pottery and coins that are still found buried in our lands today.
Georgian School Trip
Become a history investigator and explore ancient buildings, famous landscapes
and people of the past. Investigate how Flatford would have looked in Georgian
times. Follow in the footsteps of John Constable to learn about his life, Flatford’s
buildings and his Art. Visit the nearby village of East Bergholt and discover what life
was like in the Georgian era and the villages links to John Constable
What size groups do we cater for?
We can cater for groups of various sizes. Courses have a minimum of 10 students and FSC Flatford Mill has a maximum capacity of 78.
On-site classroom facilities?
Flatford Mill has five workrooms of varying size seating 16-30.
Is there first aid on site?
All our field teachers are trained in first aid and group management. A qualified first aider is available at the field centre 24 hours a day.
Who are Field Studies Council?
Field Studies Council offers fieldwork and outdoor learning for groups of all ages at centres across the UK. Trips use our stunning locations to teach curriculum focused work and inspire everyone about the environment.
Primary field trips enable you to pick and choose from a range of exciting adventure or curriculum sessions to build your own trip. Visits to Flatford Mill will immerse primary school children in the natural world, taking in its sights, sounds and smells.
For secondary and A level groups geography, biology and environmental science courses are offered. Courses can be tailored to your requirements to ensure you get the most from your visit and trips utilise the centre's local environment to fully engage students.
Bring your subject to life in the outdoor classroom!
Fully funded two-night residentials and day courses for eligible schools and for larger groups from eligible schools at a heavily discounted rate. The school must have 30% or higher pupil premium.
Special rates for schools
outside of peak season
Key Stage 3 / S1-S3 residentials from £179 for two nights
Book now for a residential between September 2025 and March 2026 for a discount of over 25% on our usual prices*:
- Two-night residential: £179
- Two-night residential including two adventure activities: £199
- Four-night residential including four adventure activities: £349
Lay strong foundations for secondary school success with a Key Stage 3 course.
Our UK centres host exciting, outdoor experiences for Key Stage 3 and S1-S3 students to foster strong bonds with others and personal growth while also covering curriculum content.
Choose from:
Active Geography: Fuse fieldwork with outdoor activities to explore real geographical contexts in an exciting and engaging way.
Active Science: Benefit from first hand fieldwork experiences in a range of habitats with outdoor activities to develop team skills.
Outdoors and Adventure: An action packed course, set in stunning natural locations and inspiring students to succeed and excel in new physical challenges.
Common Entrance: Cover the stages of the Individual Fieldwork Enquiry for the Geography 13+ Common Entrance Exam.
S1-S3 Environmental Exploration and Adventure: An active outdoor trip covering SQA curriculum content.
View our website: https://www.field-studies-council.org/key-stage-3/
*Residential discounted prices T&C’s can be found on our website
Teacher Checklist
Risk Assessments Inspection Visits Free Places for Teachers Bursaries or Funded Places Available Resource Packs LOtC Quality Badge Institute of Outdoor Learning Duke of Edinburgh Award
Supporting fieldwork and outdoor learning for all
Top 5 ways The Field Studies Council are supporting teachers, schools, parents and children to benefit from fieldwork and outdoor learning.
Why outdoor education is an essential part of every childhood.
outdoor experiences provide opportunities for development and growth, including exploration, hands-on learning and risk-taking.
Field Studies Council
Jess from the Field Studies Council talks to us about the latest exciting new changes and events taking place.
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