Farm Education & Supply Cover

Meet Dan Jones

From the classroom to the farmyard

I’m a PGCE-qualified primary teacher and spent five years in the classroom, mainly teaching upper Key Stage 2. That’s where I learned how to plan a session with a clear purpose, adapt it when a group needs something different and help children build the confidence to have a go.

I spent 10 years with Farms for City Children at Lower Treginnis in Pembrokeshire, where I managed a residential farm school on a working farm. I led children through the jobs that kept the farm going, from milking goats and mucking out donkeys to sowing, tending and harvesting crops. I wanted every child to have a real job they could take pride in, whether they’d been around animals before or were pulling on wellies for the first time.

As a Senior Volunteering and Community Officer with the National Trust, I worked alongside the Neath Port Talbot Youth Justice Service to support young people taking part in practical community projects. The work gave them a chance to learn skills, take responsibility and see the difference they could make locally.

At The Country Trust, I managed the national Farm Discovery Programme and served on the Senior Leadership Team. I supported a network of coordinators and farmer hosts to deliver school visits across England and Wales, with responsibility for visit quality, safety and safeguarding.

When I step in to cover a visit, I bring experience of both sides of the day. I know what teachers need from a visit and what it takes to run one on a working farm. I can pick up an existing programme, work alongside your team or help shape activities to suit the group and the site.

Before the day

Planning the cover

We’ll agree the role, timetable and activities in advance and go through your site routines, risk assessments and safeguarding arrangements. For an enquiry, have your dates, location, group ages and numbers, and the kind of cover you need to hand.

DBS Update Service. I hold a DBS certificate registered with the Update Service. With my consent, an eligible organisation can check its status where the certificate matches the workforce and level of check required for the role.