Fairytale Farm Visitor Attraction Oxfordshire
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Fairytale Farm Southcombe Chipping, Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 5QH
MONTHS OPEN
DAYS OPEN
AGE GROUPS SERVED
Listed under: Science | Day Trip Destinations | Animal Welfare | Farms | Outdoor Education | Themed Attraction | Conservation | Social Skills | Sensory Tours
What we offer on a school trip
Fairytale Farm mixes classic fairytales, friendly animals and adventure play to create a sensory and learning wonderland. Also, we are the first mainstream visitor attraction in the UK to put the needs of people with disabilities first in our design and layout, but we are open to all.
What makes us a great choice for education
As our name suggests, our attractions are themed around fairytales. Most of our attractions are interactive, informative and can link in with topic work for EYFS level and KS1, as well as being fun. Our attractions include: Indoor Mouse Town, sandpit, Enchanted Walk (encompassing fairy tale displays with sound buttons), waterplay, activity panels, sensory garden, farm animals and much more besides.
Our attractions are largely outdoor supporting the value of outdoor experiences for children’s leaning and development.
Accreditation and Awards
We are part of the independently audited Animal Attraction Assured certification scheme, operated by the National Farm Attractions Network in conjunction with Kiwa Agri Food and have an Access and Inclusivity award from Tourism South East.
Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Award 2022 and Park World Award for Best Family Entertainment Centre in 2021.
What is typically included on our school trips
We offer two different options for your school group:
- Free-Form visit giving the children an opportunity to explore the attraction in their own way.
- Structured tour visit which in addition to the above offers staff-led, hands on feeding and petting activities.
Once a visit is booked teachers are welcome to come on a pre-visit for risk assessment and planning purposes and we are happy to collaborate with teachers in the planning of their visit.
Materials, Resources & Information Provided
We include helpful downloads for teachers which can assist with the planning of your visit and can provide worksheets related to class topics if required. Animal feed is also included as part of the structured tour option.
Education Officer Information
schools@fairytalefarm.co.uk or contact us by phone on: 01608 238014 and select option 2.
Pricing Information
The cost is £6.20 per child as detailed on our website: https://www.fairytalefarm.co.uk/tickets/
We offer free adult visits at a ratio 1:4 for EYFS and 1:6 for KS1 (additional adults are £6.40).
Clothing Requirements
No, but we are predominantly outdoors so suggest children wear and bring appropriate clothing for the weather on the day.
First Aid Information
There are at least two members of first aid trained staff on site at any time, usually more. First aid boxes are located at the Beanstalk Café and animal area.
Available Facilities
Handwashing facilities and toilets.
Handwash station located just outside the animal area.
Café.
Gift Shop.
Indoor and outdoor picnic area.
Plenty of space for coach parking.
Changing units.
Disabled toilet and facilities.
Two large marquees that can be used by school groups.
Accessibility & Disabled Facilities
All buildings and walkways are wheelchair accessible. We have a disabled toilet. (If a room is required for privacy changing/administering medication – this can be arranged.)
Please, speak to a member of our team when booking.
Opening Hours & Information
We are open every day of the year, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. Our opening hours are 10am till 5pm.
(later on Illuminated Evenings and selected dates in our Christmas Fairytale event)
Testimonials
We had a fantastic time as did our 4 year old! He’s already asking to visit again! As a primary school teacher myself, I loved the theme and the idea behind the experiences really compliments the ey1/2 curriculum and even key stage 1! It is a really friendly, nurturing and enchanting place! The lunch box meals for kids were healthy and tasty, the meal choice for adults was great too! Would definitely recommend taking your little one, I think any age child 0-7 would love it! And class/school visits would be a real treat!”
TripAdvisor , June 2021
“I am a teacher of a mixed reception/year one class and our topic this term is ‘traditional tales’ so I thought the fairytale theme would tie in nicely. We started our day holding the new bunnies and guinea pigs, which the children loved. They then had the opportunity to walk a goat or Barbara the sheep, the children thought this was hilarious! After this, the children enjoyed seeing the other animals, particularly the three goats that they actually saw ‘trip tropping’ over the troll bridge. After lunch the children explored the areas which they thought was the best thing ever! They had fun playing in the castles and combine and challenging each other duck racing and playing skittles! There was never a dull moment and the children were reluctant to leave. All areas were safely fenced which as a teacher is a great relief to know that the children are safe. Lastly I would like to credit all the staff, particularly Edwina for all their help, they were all friendly and helpful and couldn’t have been more accommodating to a class of 26 very excited children. Thank you again for making this such a pleasant and enjoyable trip.”
TripAdvisor, March 2018
“We visited with three little girls age 4 and 2 6-year-olds. They loved it. My daughter loves mermaids so the mermaids really sold it to her! My view of this attraction is very good and good value for money. The girls enjoyed exploring and experimenting on the route we followed…The play area is fantastic and animal walk super, just right for their little legs. We were there for about 3.5 hours and got to hold and stroke lots of animals.
The cafe is good value for money and a good range of food but we took a picnic. Today was wet to begin with so went prepared with waterproofs, wellies and umbrellas, so we were still outside playing. The girls loved the old-fashioned duck race and water explore section. We were lucky it was very quiet, not many people there, so it was fab to wander around and literally have it to ourselves…The staff were full of information, chatty and helpful, so overall a fantastic place to visit. I work in a special needs school and will hopefully be bringing a class here to visit as it is safe and stimulating for all. A super place to visit!”
TripAdvisor, April 2016
Other Information
We are members of Experience Oxfordshire, Cotswolds Tourism, Tourism South East and the National Farm Attractions Network.
A number of recent reviews on TripAdvisor:
“We went to Fairytale Farm when visiting my parents in the area. It's such a lovely place, which the children really enjoyed. There is a great play area and it's so nice to feed all of the animals.” 5 stars (November 2019)“We had a mix of toddlers up to 7 year old and it worked very well. Some really unique activities, mixed with the more usual farm animals. Sensory garden was lovely! We liked it because it was a bit different.” 5 stars (October 2019)
“We took our 2 year old twins who absolutely loved their visit. Buttons to press, music, animals, play kitchen, books and a playground kept them entertained. We'd recommend to anyone with young children.” 5 stars (October 2019)
A number of other websites have recently given very positive reviews:
“So much love and thought has gone into Fairytale Farm and it really is a great place to visit. It is one of our firm favourite places to visit and somewhere we frequently go to.” (Totally Kiddies, May 2019)
“What a lovely gem of a place we will return for sure!” (Zen Ten Baby, August 2019)
“We liked the laid back non-commercial feel of it.” (Our Adventures in Warwickshire and Beyond blog, July 2019)
“…it was nice to visit somewhere different, and especially with such an important ethos underpinning it. The whole place is wheelchair and pram accessible.” (Oxford Mumbler parenting community, February 2019)
