Down on the Farm

Farm Manager Mr Ian Lockwood

Kent college is one of the few schools in the UK that can boast to have a well developed farm that is within it’s school campus. The Farm which is run by our dedicated team, Ian Lockwood and Beatrice Boyle; extends to 55 acres and is stocked with a herd of pedigree Sussex cattle, Pedigree Texel sheep, a free range pig enterprise and several ponies. The Farm also hosts numerous small animals including poultry, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters.
 
The farm is open every day to pupils from Kent College, our Junior School at Vernon Holme and other local schools. Under the guidance of the Farm staff, pupils are able to work with the animals and on the land undertaking routine management tasks, some specialist operations and working on our wildlife conservation sites.
 
Projects that the children have been involved with over the past year include: lambing, calving, rearing bucket calves,  egg collecting, breeding pigs, looking after rabbits, shearing sheep, building barns, fencing, learning brick laying, coppicing, planting trees, field cultivation, pond creation, hatching eggs and breaking in ponies for riding! These skills that the children learn come together at the end of the year to get ready for the main event of our annual trip to the Kent County Show. This is a real highlight for our pupils as each child who gets involved consistently through the year has the opportunity to prepare an animal such as a lamb or calf for showing in the ring at the Detling Show Ground. Showing of animal’s starts early in the morning, yet the pupils seem to take it in their stride and are often found to be up early cleaning and grooming the animals. Despite their hard work you will never find any other mud covered individuals quite so cheery at the end of four days, and so proud at the success the have managed to achieve for their animal. The Farm has really taken off over the past few years and has become a resource that the whole school is using. It is often utilised to assist in Geography, Science and Art lessons giving pupils a greater understanding and depth of topics.
 
The Farm provides opportunities for Kent College and other schools to come and get involved and view farming and conservation operations This helps them to understand the full scale of responsibility that is required for stock management and protecting wildlife habitats and also just having some fun with friends from different Year Groups. This experience provides skills that are transferable to other areas of schooling and life itself. The only requirement of coming to the Farm is old clothes and some enthusiasm!