The Ark Smallholding

Welcome to The Ark

Where nurture and nature open the door to knowledge.

The Ark is an educational smallholding in Leeds that provides a safe, supportive, and inspiring place for children and young people to thrive outside the pressures of a traditional classroom.

We know that life — and school — can sometimes feel overwhelming, so The Ark offers a calm, outdoor space where young people can take a breath, build confidence, and focus on their wellbeing. Here, the emphasis is on feeling good about yourself, enjoying positive experiences with others, and developing the confidence, resilience, and independence to move forward.

Learning at The Ark happens through doing. Every day is full of opportunities to discover, create, and grow. Some of the activities we offer include:

Animal care – looking after our horses, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Students feed, groom, and care for them, while also learning about their needs and behaviours.

Forest school activities – lighting fires with flint and steel, outdoor cooking (making gooey marshmallows or handmade pizzas), den and shelter building, and using natural materials for crafts and bushcraft.

Hands-on projects – creating bird boxes, bug hotels, planters, and other small woodworking projects. Older students also get involved in maintaining the smallholding — building fences, repairing shelters, and helping to look after the land. In the garden, students grow vegetables and flowers, dig, plant, water, and get stuck into the soil and mud, learning about where their food comes from.

Nature studies – exploring the River Wharfe and surrounding woodland, spotting birds and wildlife, studying habitats, learning about sustainability and discovering how the natural environment changes with the seasons.

Through these activities our students are continuously learning in practical and meaningful ways. Subjects such as science, geography, maths, and art naturally weave into the day but without the pressure of formal lessons.

Every young person’s journey at The Ark is unique. We work closely with schools, parents, carers, and local authorities to ensure each student makes progress at their own pace — whether that’s in confidence, improved attendance, behaviour, readiness to re-engage with education, or simply feeling happier in themselves.

If you have a young person in mind and would like to find out how they can get involved at The Ark, you can visit our referral page to learn more about the process and next steps.

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• Mirror mirror on the … horse?September 20, 2025
  Life has a way of teaching us lessons if we’re willing to listen, and sometimes the best teachers don’t speak our language at all. They say horses are mirrors of the soul. Stand beside one and they will show you the truth of yourself – your calm, your restlessness, your doubts, your quiet strength, your …

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Our Daily Routine

Every day at The Ark is a hands-on learning adventure, full of exploration, creativity, and connection with nature.

The day begins at 9:30am with a check-in and breakfast, giving students a chance to settle in and set intentions for the day. After this, it’s straight into animal care, where students feed, groom, and tend to our horses, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs, learning about their needs, behaviours, and how to care responsibly for animals.

A short lunch break gives everyone time to recharge before the student-led afternoon projects, where our students are encouraged to explore their own interests and ideas. Projects might include creative activities, such as music or art, or practical challenges, from woodworking and field crafts to campfires, den building, or river walks.

The day always ends on a positive note, with time to reflect on achievements, celebrate individual strengths, and give thanks for the contributions of everyone in the group.

At The Ark, every day is designed to connect young people with nature, animals, and themselves, while giving them the freedom to explore their interests, develop practical skills, and build confidence.

Meet the Team

Helen McGloughlin

Designated Safeguarding Lead and School/Student Liaison

Helen’s love of horses began at the age of 8, and they quickly became a central part of her life. After many years of riding and caring for horses throughout her childhood, she later took time to focus on her career and family. Now, that passion has come full circle, something she shares with her youngest daughter, Ruby, who also volunteers at The Ark during the holidays.

For over 25 years, Helen has worked within the education system, supporting children and families. Alongside her professional career, she remained deeply connected to animals and the outdoors, often combining the two through school projects. These experiences gave her first-hand insight into the profound impact that nature and animals can have on wellbeing, confidence, and learning.

Seeing the positive changes in the young people she supported is what inspired Helen to take her passion further and make it her life’s work. Together with Kane, she co-founded The Ark Smallholding – bringing her wealth of experience in education, her lifelong love of animals, and her commitment to supporting young people.

Kane Wilson

Project and Livestock Manager

Kane’s path began in science, studying physics at university, where he was captivated by the challenge of understanding the universe. That search for understanding eventually led him outdoors, to the land and the animals. Here he discovered that real insight isn’t only found in theory, but in the lived experience of working with nature and seeing how it shapes us in return.

For Kane, nature is the greatest teacher. The way animals interact, the patience of the seasons, the resilience of a tree standing stoic through countless storms and seasons – showing us that even in times of challenge, we too can stand firm and continue to grow – all hold lessons that can guide us as human beings.

Music is also an important part of Kane’s life. Whether he’s creating a new song on the guitar or playing the drums, he sees music as another way to listen, to express, and to connect. Like the rhythms of the natural world, music has the power to ground us, lift us, bring a sense of calm and joy, and remind us we’re part of something bigger.

Through The Ark, Kane brings together his passions – nature, animals, creativity, and human connection – to create a safe and nurturing place where young people can explore at their own pace, discover their own strengths, and carry forward lessons that will stay with them for life.

Ruby

This is Ruby, a keen horse rider and has been riding since 2015. Ruby helps out at The Ark during the holidays and on weekends. When Ruby isn’t hanging out with all the animals, she loves art, reading, cooking and loves to bake buns.

Ruby has 3 horses of her own: Rosie who we use at The Ark; Gordon who is a young resuce pony; and her newest addition Daisie who is only 7 months old and is also at The Ark.

Bob

Meet Bob, our resident greeter and chief face-licker! He takes his job of welcoming everyone very seriously — with tail wags, cuddles, and the occasional muddy paw print.

How we support young people

• Schools

We welcome referrals from schools and local authorities for students who would benefit from a practical, outdoor-based learning environment. Please note that our provision is not full-time education. While we aim to keep students engaged with elements of the national curriculum through hands-on activities, our primary focus is on social and emotional wellbeing.

Our programme is designed for young people who may find mainstream classrooms challenging – whether due to difficulties with focus and attention, managing behaviour, low attendance, or pressures at home. We provide a safe, nurturing space where students can rebuild confidence, develop resilience, and experience success through practical learning.

Each referral includes a personalised plan to track progress and celebrate achievements, with clear outcomes such as:

• Improved attendance and re-engagement with education
• Development of resilience, confidence, and communication skills
• Acquisition of practical life skills and curriculum-linked learning opportunities (e.g. science through animal care, maths through woodworking, literacy through project planning)

Many students also benefit from our animal-assisted therapy and bereavement support, which can be built into their individual plan.

Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. All staff are fully DBS checked, trained, and compliant with Leeds safeguarding practices. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead oversees all referrals and student engagement. You can view our [policies and procedures] for full details.

For referral enquiries, please contact:

Helen McGloughlin – Designated Safeguarding Lead & School Liaison
📞 07754 315 387
📧 info@thearksmallholding.co.uk

• Home Education

Our regular home education days are currently on hold, as we found that last-minute cancellations made it difficult to run them effectively. However, we are very happy to welcome organised home education groups who would like to arrange a private session with us. If you are part of a group and would like to book a tailored visit, please get in touch in advance to discuss availability and options.

• Holiday Clubs

Each summer we run our popular Holiday Club sessions, offering children the chance to enjoy a fun-filled day in the great outdoors. From spending time with our animals and learning how to care for them, to taking part in forest school activities, games, and creative play, there’s always plenty to keep everyone entertained.

Spaces are limited, so early booking is recommended. To reserve a place, please email us or visit our Facebook page for the latest details and updates.

• Volunteering, Work Experience and DofE

If you are 16+ and would like to help out and volunteer your time, or if you are looking for work experience with animals, please get in touch. We also work with students who are undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh Award.

As we are not a public farm, all visits to The Ark are by appointment only. If you would like to arrange a visit, please contact Helen at: info@thearksmallholding.co.uk

The Ark is an outdoor learning experience, so we ask that all visitors come prepared for the weather and activities. Please wear warm, comfortable clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty.

In colder months: we can provide spare waterproofs and wellies for children if needed.

In warmer months: we ask that students bring their own sun cream, hats, and water bottles.

Finding Us

For Sat Nav, please use the postcode LS22 5AS. We are located right next to the beautiful St Oswald’s Church. On-site parking is available for visitors. For student drop-offs, we usually meet on Church Lane and walk along the footpath through the churchyard together.