Food for Life

16th August 2012Oathall

We are very proud that we have been chosen to be a flagship school for the Food for Life Partnership. This means we are aiming to become a hub for all good things related to food in Haywards Heath and West Sussex from growing and farming to cooking and eating.  Being part of this project means we will be trying to make sure that everyone is eating and enjoying a healthy snack or lunch so they are ready for their lessons, ensuring everyone learns about growing and cooking fresh food so they can take care of themselves as they get older and learning how food choices impact not just on health – but the health of the planet as well.

Farm Shop Makes the News (Again)!

1st August 2012Oathall
Rosanna and Katie

Rosanna and Katie

Our latest bid to take over the airwaves sees us featured in a news item on Meridian News.

Presenter Rachel Hepworth joined us a couple of weeks ago armed with just a camera and loads of enthusiasm to tell the story of Oathall Farm.

OCC students Rosanna Curtis and Katie Russell were fabulous in front of the camera and gave a great overview of how the farm and the school work together for the benefit of all the students and staff too.

Teacher Emma Rimmer had a cameo appearance when she came in to buy her weekly shop but as always the stars of the show were the piglets!

See Oathall Farm on Meridian TV here

Soggy but Successful Show for Oathall Farm

15th June 2012Oathall
The show is a highlight in our calendar

This annual show is a real highlight in our calendar

It was a wet and windy South of England Show in Ardingly this year but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the 35 Oathall students who helped out each day.

Supported by staff and six ex-students the group from Oathall were involved in showing and stewarding and also led the famous cattle parade each day.

We brought home a number of rosettes, winning the best pair of pigs out of ten pairs on display and winning the best pair of calves too. Our students showed champion commercial pigs on behalf of Andrew Strong of Field Place Farm and the champion and reserve champion Lleyn Sheep on behalf of Peter Sutton of Rout Farm.

The show was rounded off nicely with not only a sunny day but with Oathall Farm students receiving the Richard Dean Trophy for tidiest cattle lines and best turned out cattle.

Well done everyone!

Alan Titchmarsh opens New Farm Shop

26th April 2012Oathall
Alan Titchmarsh MBE opening our farm shop in April 2012

Alan Titchmarsh MBE opening our farm shop

Students at Oathall were privileged to give TV personality and renowned horticulturist Alan Titchmarsh a guided tour of the farm and growing areas on Friday.

Arriving at Oathall to officially open the farm shop, Alan Titchmarsh said that his visit to Oathall was ‘nothing more than a dream come true’ and that Oathall was ‘a beacon of how schools should be’. (more…)

Sussex County YFC Competition

7th March 2012Oathall

YFC logoOathall Young Farmers put out their youngest ever team for the annual Sussex County YFC Competitions Day held at Plumpton College on Sunday 4 March 2012.

The youngsters, many of whom had never competed before and who were aged 11-16, came away with a host of prize cards and 10 individual cups or trophies.

Competitions included stock judging, animal husbandry, countryside knowledge, tractor driving, pottery, cycle safety, flower arranging and egg painting. Other more light hearted classes involved eating doughnuts or chocolate washed down with lemonade all against the clock.

The students are grateful for the support they receive from local farmers and would like to thank Anthony Hole and sons from Burgess Hill who provided expert cycle safety training.

Club leader and teacher Howard Wood commented: “I never fail to be amazed by the talents, enthusiasm and hard work displayed by the young people of today, they earn all their successes.”

Funding Success

29th February 2012Oathall

PCFEarlier this year we submitted an application for funding to the Prince’s Countryside Fund to complete the kitting out of the farm shop and also to help support the initial costs of the running of the shop itself.

The application talked about how we wanted to create a community shop that would not only be an outlet for our home-reared meats and other products but that would, importantly, enable Oathall students to acquire a range of related skills and enjoy gaining some of the practical, retail and business experience that is required to run a small enterprise.

A couple of weeks ago we discovered that we were one of the lucky few applicants who were successful but we had to keep quiet until the Fund made it official…  Well that happened this week and we’re delighted to announce our success.

We’d like to thank everyone who has supported us and who continue to do so and we hope you will enjoy this good news with us!