Saturday, September 02, 2006

Go to the farm when mainstream schools don't work for certain kids!

Moo! Oink! Neigh! For some students in England, The Learning to Listen Centre, the farm school, is their last chance to get an education before being expelled forever. It appears to be working with its students completing their education and many going on to college due to a code of ethics that each student must sign in order to work with the animals:

James was expelled from several schools before ending up at the farm. "I
didn't really like it at first - then I got started with the horses," he said.
"Then I got bored with that, but started learning the skills you need for a
job."...The centre can cater for eight pupils aged 14 to 16. There are formal lessons - Dwayne is to take a maths GCSE next year - and the school has one fully trained teacher. It has been approved by Ofsted, the education standards watchdog. Pupils also learn such skills as welding, horse riding, animal husbandry, milking, dry-stone walling and tractor driving. Each child draws up a behaviour contract - and is asked questions such as: "What do you think should happen if you hurt one of the animals?" Mr Kreutzer said: "Even if they come here with a chequered history we can put that out of our minds and give them respect from the outset. They have to earn the right to look after the animals."