The Access to Farms partnership has unveiled farmsforteachers at the Growing Schools conference in London. Lady Ashton, junior minister of the department for education and skills said it will act as a one-stop-shop for teachers and lists a wide range of farms and horticultural units open for school visits. It also acts as a signpost for teachers to specialist advice on areas including educational resources and health and safety.

The NFU is a partner in Access to Farms and the union's deputy president Tim Bennett said: 'I am delighted that this website has been developed to help teachers find a farm to visit more easily.

'Farm visits play a vital role in providing countryside classrooms to enable children to understand more about where their food comes from and how it is produced.' The initiative is in line with the recent Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food report, chaired by Sir Don Curry, which recommended that 'all school children get the chance to visit working farms at least once, as enjoyable days out as well as a learning experience.' The website will enable the Access to Farms consortium to share information, identify gaps in the market and plan for the future. It has been developed with support from the DfES.

Other partners include: Country Trust, Countryside Foundation for Education, DEFRA, Farming and Countryside Education, Farms for Schools, Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, Groundwork, LEAF and the Soil Association. The partnership was formally set up in 2001.

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