Workshops
We offer students a wide range of craft, land-based work and social enterprise opportunities in our workshops.
At the heart of our ethos is our belief that all young people need – and can have – a sense of achievement and belonging, and can reach their full potential.
Our individually tailored programmes, based on young people's interests and abilities, are developed by our workshop leaders, each of whom has tried and tested skills in the craft, land-based or social enterprise activities. The workshop leaders are also proficient in working and supporting people with additional support needs, which ensures they can create meaningful experiences for young people to reach their full potential.
Our wide range of workshops available are:
STARS Awards
We want all young people to take part in progressive, individualised learning, and so we’ve developed the STARS Awards - Social, Taking Part, Attaining, Responsibility, Self-Directing. Our STARS Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of every student. Our students are assessed on their level of engagement through carefully designed units – they gain credits, which are detailed in their individual Portfolio of Achievement. Every credit gained counts towards the achievements of Bronze, Silver and Gold STARS awards.
Craft
Woodwork
In our wood workshop, our children and young people make useful items such as handles for tools, baseball bats or legs for a stool or bench. For these they turn green wood on a pole lathe, and use other techniques with the right support to create beautiful products. They often carve bowls and spoons but also work on their own ideas – we’ve seen superheroes and Hogwarts coming out of the workshop.
Art
In our art room, our students engage in a variety of different art projects, such as paper-making and printing on canvas, cards and clothes, and papier mache. They also make wall hangings using different techniques like drawing, felting, weaving, sewing and printing.
Weavery
We have several looms in our weavery, which our children and young people learn to use, regardless of their varying levels of ability. They find the peaceful atmosphere and often rhythmical activity to be beneficial, making beautiful table runners, bags, tablecloths and other items. They also card wool and weave baskets.
Felting
The felt workshop has a therapeutic focus and our young people engage in both wet felting and needle felting to make amazing products like wall hangings, felted animals or plants, bags, hot water bottle holders and fairy light flowers. The felt workshop uses the wool from our own sheep wherever possible.
Craft and sewing
Our craft and sewing workshop teaches different craft skills according to interest and ability in a therapeutic, peaceful space. Printing, carding, sewing by hand or machine, embroidery and card-making are some of the activities on offer, and our students develop skills on the job. The workshop uses recycled materials, runs upcycle projects, uses the wool from our sheep and makes lavender bags with lavender grown in our own gardens.
Candle Making
The candle workshop is a seasonal workshop where all kinds of candles in different colours, shapes and sizes are made mainly in the lead-up to Christmas.
Pottery
In our pottery workshop, every student takes a turn on the pottery wheel and other activities are on offer such as bead making, brick making, art projects and clay recycling.
Metal and jewellery-making
This workshop gives our students the opportunity to work with different techniques in metal and jewellery. From copper bowls and Tibetan sound bowls to wax and bronze casting, jewellery from recycled glass and wire, to key rings and decorative objects, outputs are very varied.
Social enterprise model workshops
Bike Garage
Our bike garage has different workstations where young people of all abilities can engage in bike repair and maintenance such as repairing punctures, replacing brakes or wheels, cleaning bikes and so on. The bike garage repairs bikes from Camphill School staff and students, and aims to offer a service for the public soon. Our children and young people recently repaired 20 old bikes for Stella’s Voice, a charity working to eradicate child trafficking in Moldova.
FRUVER
FRUVER is our wholesale distribution centre of organic fruit and vegetables – some from our own gardens – as well as a wide range of wholesome dried goods such as pasta, flour, teas, coffee, herbs and healthy snacks. It also distributes Camphill School’s meat and eco-friendly cleaning products. Our young people are involved in making up the orders, weighing, refilling and delivering goods to our residential houses. FRUVER supports our zero waste, sustainable, organic and eco-friendly ethos, and we hope to share our service with the public soon.
Land-based workshops
Garden
We have three large gardens that produce vegetables and fruit for our residential houses. Across each of these gardens, our young people learn how to grow vegetables and fruit, and help to sow, plant, maintain and develop all aspects of land cultivation.
Farm
On the farm students are involved in looking after our cows and calves, pigs, sheep, chickens, pygmy goats and alpacas. Mucking out stables, preparing feeds, collecting eggs, stacking wood, moving animals or walking alpacas and being involved in repairs of fences are some common activities.
Riding Stables
We offer equine therapy and we have three therapy horses, stables and indoor, outdoor and sand arenas. Our young people are involved in looking after the horses and their environment, which includes feeding and grooming as well as keeping the stables and arenas clean.
Estate Land Maintenance
Our students get involved in ongoing projects on our own grounds – these can vary from raking leaves, pruning, clearing or building paths, planting bulbs and sowing grass, or delivering wood. Often this happens in a group setting, which focuses on social interaction.
