Our on-site farm is an important part of The Roseland Academy and is a unique resource of which we are very proud. Our students have the opportunity to look after and learn about a wide range of animals, including goats, chickens, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, and exotic animals such as bearded dragons and terrapins.
All year 7 students have a compulsory farm lesson every fortnight and will learn a mixture of animal care, horticulture and farm maintenance skills. We grow our own food and flowers using the poly-tunnel and vegetable patch and students learn how to prepare soil for sowing and planting, propagation of plants from seed, soil testing, and identifying a range
of common garden plants, weeds, pests and disease. Farm sessions also provide opportunities to develop and enrich our PSHE curriculum by covering topics such as responsible pet ownership, conservation and environmental awareness.
At key stage 4, students can choose to study BTec Animal care and learn about animal health, handling welfare and behaviour. The qualification provides an introductory overview to some of the key principles, knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to the animal care sector through hands on practical learning on the farm and theory teaching in our purpose built classroom.
The Roseland Community Farm is open every break time and lunch time for all students to see the animals or help with jobs. There are also weekly animal handling sessions during the lunch break.