Englefield Estate celebrates award win for school open days

A West Berkshire estate has been praised for giving children a “unique and exciting experience” at its annual Schools Days.

Englefield Estate — which welcomes more than 1,500 primary school children annually — has been granted the prestigious Sandford Award for Heritage Education.

Staff and experts transformed the grounds into an outdoor classroom for the 26th annual Schools Days this year.

Among the many activities organised, students worked with carpenters to build tree sparrow nest boxes, learned how wheat is grown and turned into flour and planned a water supply system.

After an exhaustive assessment in June, the assessor described the event as being “supremely well-organised, safe, accessible and inspirational”.

They added: “The Schools Days offer pupils exciting, interactive and memorable experiences that have a powerful effect on their understanding and appreciation of sustainability.

“The Benyon family, the estate staff and the partner organisations generously share their knowledge and passion with schools to facilitate thoughtful engagement and meaningful learning.”

Speaking about receiving the Sandford Award, the estate’s education and environment officer, Liz Mattison, said: “We know how much schools value the annual Schools Days from the feedback we get from teachers and pupils, but to have this endorsement is extremely rewarding.

“It is truly a team effort to put on this event and the credit should go to all those who played their part.”

The Sandford Award presentation ceremony will take place at Hampton Court Palace on Monday, November 6 in the Clore Learning Centre.

More than 500 heritage sites and services including museums, castles and zoos across the British Isles have received the Sandford Award since it started in 1978.