Countryfile presenter says bringing sheep to school almost caused ‘riot’

Sophie Robinson
·2-min read
Adam Henson with a lamb on the farm
Henson is calling for the introduction of a GCSE in agriculture

Countryfile presenter Adam Henson said he almost caused a riot at a school after bringing sheep into an assembly - because the children had never seen one before.

Henson, 58, said it was sad so many British youngsters hadn’t seen parts of the countryside and hopes the curriculum can be shaken up to change things, calling for the introduction of a GCSE in agriculture.

Speaking to Somerset Life magazine, he said: “I’m not an old farmer with baler and twine holding up my corduroy trousers, but I’m a farmer who is passionate about educating people about the countryside and explaining where our food comes from.

“If you grow up in the countryside you are used to the sights and sounds of a farm - but for those people who live in cities, they just don’t understand rural life in the same way.

“Recently I took a few sheep into a school assembly in Birmingham.

“The headmaster had to bring in extra staff and limit the number of children who were in the room because he was convinced that we’d have a riot on our hands.

“Sadly, so many children have never seen a sheep before.”

Countryfile host Adam Henson at the Cotswold Farm Park
The presenter says he wants to educate younger people on the countryside - Heathcliff O'Malley

Research by the Bluestone National Park in 2018 found that 27 per cent of city-dwelling children aged between six and 11 had never encountered a sheep.

Similarly, a survey in 2020 by Jordans Cereals found that children were disconnected from food production, as one in 10 children believed that carrots originated in the supermarket.

Henson said: “I would love to see a GCSE in agriculture introduced.

“Thankfully there are many others in the field of media and farming who are also keen to push for this too.

“I’m eager to educate people in the best way that I can.”

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • Protesters Pass Food Through Gates at Columbia University as Campus Limits Access

    Pro-Palestine demonstrators at Columbia University were handed food through gates on Tuesday, April 30, after the school limited access to campus.Footage filmed by BreakThrough News shows a woman passing boxes through a gated entrance in the Morningside Heights neighborhood on Tuesday.According to the university’s website, access was limited to students residing in nearby residential buildings and employees who provide “essential services to campus buildings, labs, and residential student life.” Credit: BreakThrough News/@BTNewsroom via Storyful

  • Mother shows off hilarious double typo made on son’s homework assignment

    ‘That’s a tired teacher’

  • 2 Universities Have Now Reached Deals With Pro-Palestine Protesters To End Encampments

    Brown and Northwestern University have both reached deals with pro-Palestine protesters demonstrating against Israel's offensive in Gaza.

  • Police in riot gear enter Columbia University to break up pro-Palestinian protests

    Hundreds of New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers, many with batons and in riot gear, moved onto Columbia University’s campus Tuesday evening as student protesters continued a largely peaceful occupation of a campus building in protest of the Israel-Hamas war. Student protesters barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, escalating after more than a…

  • Professors are putting their bodies and careers on the line supporting students protesting for Gaza

    “For many of us, we are not without any fear and anxiety,” said one professor, who has been forming human barricades with other faculty members to protect protesting students from police

  • NYPD leader on Columbia: ‘Spoiled kids who think they can do what they want’

    A senior New York City Police Department (NYPD) leader defended the department’s decision to aggressively clear pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University and other colleges Tuesday, saying police “set the tone for the city” against protests he described as “lawless” and run by “spoiled kids.” Hundreds of NYPD officers armed with batons and wearing riot gear…

  • Multiple Delhi schools evacuated after emailed bomb threats

    Bomb disposal units and fire brigades rush to schools as cyber police investigate emails

  • Columbia University community 'shattered' after police raid

    Students say they have lost trust and are in limbo after New York officers arrested Gaza protesters.

  • NYC police raid Columbia University building occupied by Gaza protesters

    Mass arrests are reported after officers climbed a ladder to enter the university's occupied Hamilton Hall.

  • CNN’s Dana Bash: Rhetoric toward Jewish students on college campuses ‘unacceptable’

    CNN anchor Dana Bash opened her “Inside Politics” program Wednesday by blasting demonstrations by pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses across American universities and colleges in recent weeks. “We start with destruction, violence and hate on college campuses across the country,” Bash said to open her program before showing clips of protests from the University of…

  • ‘Simply not safe’: Jewish students targeted

    In the face of alleged anti-Semitism, Australian Jewish students plan to hold a rally at an Australian university on Thursday.

  • Student Gunman ‘Neutralized’ Outside Wisconsin Middle School: Officials

    Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty ImagesAn attempted attack on a Wisconsin middle school was thwarted by law enforcement before anyone—besides the wannabe active shooter—was harmed, authorities said Wednesday.The alleged gunman was “neutralized” outside Mount Horeb Middle School and “did not breach entryway” into the building, district officials said.“An initial search of the middle school has not yielded additional suspects,” the district said. “As importantly, we have no reports of individuals be

  • Berkeley takes hands-off approach to Gaza campus protests. Columbia called the police

    At Columbia University, tensions between the administration and students protesting over Israel's war in Gaza have reached the point that scores of New York City police marched onto campus to clear an encampment and arrest demonstrators who had commandeered a classroom building. It was the second time in as many weeks that the administration has called on police to control the protests. Students have been suspended, and threatened with expulsion.

  • Alleged Shooter 'Neutralized' Outside Middle School in Wisconsin

    An alleged shooter was stopped by police before entering Mount Horeb Middle School in Dane County, Wisconsin, on Wednesday morning, May 1, according to local authorities.The Mount Horeb Area School District said the suspect “did not breach the entryway” and said no one was harmed, “with the exception of the alleged assailant.”In a since-edited post, the school district said the suspect had been “neutralized” outside the school’s gates.This footage from local news outlet Madison365 shows police vehicles and an ambulance arriving outside the school.Wisconsin’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr Jill Underly, who oversees education, said her office was aware of the incident and said the “children, staff, and families are in our hearts.” Credit: Madison365 via Storyful

  • Mordaunt: Strict response needed if UK campus Gaza protests replicate US

    The Commons Leader made the remarks in response to a request for a debate on ‘antisemitism at UK universities’.

  • Brown University agrees to hold Israel divestment vote after pressure from student protesters

    Brown University’s corporate board will vote on a proposal to divest from Israeli interests, the university announced Tuesday, a major victory for student protesters who have taken over dozens of college campuses nationwide. Protesters at Brown will tear down their encampment at the center of campus and cease demonstrations through the end of the school year as part of an…

  • Stephen Colbert Fiercely Defends Campus Protesters From Trump Attack

    CBSBy the time The Late Show began airing on Tuesday night, police in riot gear had already breached and cleared Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall–which had been occupied by pro-Palestinian student protesters in the early hours of Tuesday morning–while reportedly making dozens of arrests. But just a few miles downtown at the Ed Sullivan Theater, Stephen Colbert was making his support for the young demonstrators known.“Of course, one of the biggest stories right now is the nationwide, pro-Pales

  • Doctors Are Sharing The 1 Bathroom Habit They Would Avoid At All Costs

    Colorectal and gastro doctors share why you're going to want to ditch this habit immediately.

  • Local TV Anchor Catches Donald Trump Off Guard With A Simple Question

    The former president floundered in the face of Roop Raj's response.

  • Dramatic video of kangaroo fighting off dogs fuels Aussie myth

    A video showing a kangaroo being set upon by four dogs has sparked a massive reaction. But not every response is correct.