On Thursday 9th December, Sherfield Year 11 Business students swapped the comfort of the classroom, rolled up their sleeves and got face to face with farming (amongst other things)! Pupils were treated to a trip to the Wellington Estate, to see a working example of a business and to provide a great case study example that they will be able to visualise when discussing the topics in lessons.
The centre of the Wellington Estate today is Stratfield Saye House where the 1st Duke of Wellington lived from 1818 to 1852. Two hundred years later and there are now many different businesses and activities on the Estate. The Wellington Country Park is an award-winning destination for a family day in the country. The Wellington Riding is an international competition venue and award-winning equestrian centre. The Wellington Farm Shop has high quality local produce, an award-winning butchery and a café with views of the Estate. The Wellington Wellbeing centre is a members fitness and wellbeing facility. Daneshill School is also set within the estate, as is the Wellington Arms, a country hotel and restaurant. In addition, there are many residential and commercial rented properties, a number of country sporting activities and generations of tenant farmers.
First stop for the Sherfield students was Southend Farm, a working Cattle Farm on the Estate, where they were met by Jo (LEAF Education Consultant), Andrew (Estate Manager) and James (in charge of looking after the cows).
This stop was perfect for the pupils' business topic of Operations and Finance. Within Operations the students learn about Production methods, and what better example than a cattle farm that breeds and sells its own cows! The pupils learnt about the food production laws, involving what they can feed the cows and the other inputs involved in this production such as vet care and land maintenance. They also learnt about the costs of the machinery such as the circa £200,000 new machine they bought recently to reduce the manpower required for mixing food and bedding. In addition, they discover how expensive the ‘Top Trumps’ bull is at market and met the bull that the farm had recently purchased.
Students began to see first hand, how complicated inputs and outputs influence distribution channels in a working business. Some were also bowled over by a chance to get up close and personal with the animals, saying: “I touched a cow, I have never touched a cow before!”
The next stop after meeting the Wellington Cows, was Stratfield Saye House to meet the Game Keeper and his lovely dog. Needless to say, the dog enjoyed a great deal of adoration and fuss from the students. Pupils were introduced to the business model of game keeping and the financial side of the many shoots organised on the Estate. They discussed how the price of each bird and were driven past the release pens, stopping at the coops where the pheasant chicks are hatched and grown.
For the final stop of the day, our students visited the Wellington Farm Shop, which they thought was 'wonderful'! They explored methods of selling products and of customer service which is another topic they have been learning about this term. This of course involved a trip around the farm shop and some lovely purchases. They were then all treated to a welcome complimentary hot drink and mince pies - a great end to a brilliant trip!
Mrs. Rouse, Head of Business Studies