Completed petition Advise schools on visits to Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm

We request the Minister for Education and Skills in the Welsh Government reviews the suitability of Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm for visits from Welsh schools. We consider the zoo unsuitable because:1. It undermines the understanding of science and contradicts the national curriculum. 2. The zoo was expelled from the zoo industry body, BIAZA, in 2009.

Going on school trips is a vital part of our children’s learning, helping them to get hands on experience of the world around them. Teachers and parents value this, and put in a lot of time and effort to making sure that the trips they run support children’s learning and are safe. In order to do this, they rely on guidance and information. We ask that you investigate Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm immediately and make sure that all schools are made aware of the findings of the investigation.

Additional information:

1 The Department for Education 2011 - Free Schools FAQs - Curriculum:

“We would expect to see evolution and its foundation topics fully included in any science curriculum. We do not expect creationism, intelligent design and similar ideas to be taught as valid scientific theories in any state funded school” http://www.education.gov.uk/a0075656/free-schools-faqs-curriculum#faq5;

https://humanism.org.uk/2014/02/04/alice-roberts-bha-complain-michael-gove-noahs-ark-zoo-farms-quality-badge-breaching-creationism-policy/;

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/08/wont-go-back-to-creationist-zoo-bristol

2 BIAZA (2009):

‘Council believes that the behaviour of NAZF has brought the association into disrepute’ ™http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/8391779.stm