One of our Ayrshire cows with her calf
The farm manages an extensive range of livestock including cattle,sheep, pigs and poultry.
We also have several hives of bees on our site.
Students preparing to ‘Dig for Victory!’
The farm at Oathall was established in 1941 in response the Ministry of Agriculture’s ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign during the Second World War, (which encouraged people to grow their own food to supplement basic rations).
58 boys turned an acre of grassland into arable land and thus qualified for a ploughing grant of £2 from the Ministry of Agriculture, the last sod was turned by the school’s headteacher Mr Miles.
Prince’s Countryside Fund Boost for Oathall Farm Shop, February 2012
Not many schools have the benefit of a school farm and even fewer have their very own farm shop. Supported by a grant from The Prince’s Countryside Fund , we have been able to grow our shop both physically (we now have a dedicated cutting room for the butcher) and in terms of the range of products as well.
Visit the dedicated shop website here
Alan Titchmarsh MBE opening our farm shop in April 2012
Bethan Archer, an art teacher:
“I thoroughly enjoy my visits, it beats drawing a bowl of fruit any day! We’ve had our minor incidents with sketchbooks being nibbled, dropped and trampled, but all adds to a more memorable experience.”
A student from Oathall:
“Teachers make it fun by trusting you and treating you like an adult.”
Heathfield Show, summer 2013
Each year we aim to give up to thirty members of Oathall Young Farmers Club the chance to prepare and train one of our pedigree cattle, sheep or pigs to show at major agricultural shows.
We attend a number of agricultural shows each year. We have travelled as far afield as North Yorkshire for shows in the past.
Inside our glasshouse
Greenhouses allow us to control the growing environment.
At Oathall we have various systems to help us alter conditions via heating, cooling, lighting and irrigation depending on the time of year in order to maximise the potential of our growing spaces.
We have entered the show garden competition at the South of England Show on five separate occasions and we have won four times (in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011) which is an outstanding achievement for a 11 – 16 secondary school.
Read more about our winning entires below:
‘A Guiding Hand’
South of England Show 2011 – ‘A Guiding Hand Garden’ by Oathall wins first place
The design aims to symbolically represent the nurturing and supporting hand that is given to young people by their parents, teachers and many others as they make their journey through life.
Our hope is that this nurturing garden provides a safe haven for young people; a place to sit and enjoy, a place to relax and reflect, but most of all a place to feel a sense of reassurance, a Guiding hand from those around us who care.
Happy new year to you from all at OCC!
The governors, staff and students of Oathall Community College would like to wish friends of our school a very happy and healthy new year.
2013 was a fantastic year for us, there were so many highlights, here are just a few…
Magenta preparing for some Carols in the Barn!
Oathall Community College has held its annual Carols in the Barn event on Thursday 12 December.
In the days running up to it farm staff and student volunteers decorated the barn with lights and other festive trimmings while a large Christmas tree generously donated by Balcombe Estates provided a spectacular centrepiece.
Past and present students, parents, staff and members of the local community packed into the barn for a cold but magical start to Christmas. Under the watchful eye of the animals a selection of traditional and religious readings were given and music students raised the roof with renditions of lots of festive favourites.
A cold winter morning on Oathall Farm
Twelve months, four seasons, one farm, welcome to Oathall.
January
- Bulbs begin to push through the ground.
- Early in the month the sheep scanner comes to tell us whether our ewes are carrying single, twin or triplet lambs.
- We must prune our fruit trees on frost free days.
