Bickington school farm plans backed by parents ahead of council decision
The Greater Horseshoe School has applied to Teignbridge District Council to secure its farm site near Dartmoor, with parents warning of the impact if it is lost
Parents whose children attend a specialist school farm site near the eastern edge of Dartmoor have urged decision-makers to support plans to secure its future.
The Greater Horseshoe School has submitted a planning application to Teignbridge District Council relating to its farm site near Bickington, a village on the eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park.
The school's main site is in Heathfield, Newton Abbot, and is unaffected by the application.
Some pupils attend the specialist farm site, where they take part in activities including gardening and animal care.
Parents say the site has played an important role in their children's education and that losing it would leave them facing difficult choices over alternative specialist provision.
Katy Cooney's nine-year-old daughter has attended the farm site for two years.
She said: “Ava attending The Greater Horseshoe School has been a gamechanger for our family.
“She was regularly suspended from her previous school and was also placed on a part-time timetable. She’s an extremely clever girl, but she struggles with the social aspects of mainstream school and being in a class with 30 other children.”
Ms Cooney said her daughter's previous school had struggled to meet her needs, although she described staff there as “brilliant”.
Because Ava was out of school so often, Ms Cooney said she eventually had to resign from her job.
“She is settled enough now that I have been able to return to work part-time, which has been a massive relief,” she added.
“I absolutely trust the school to make sure all the children are safe on the farm site. I just don’t know what we, and so many other families, would do if the site had to close. It’s unthinkable.”
Imogen Anderson, whose 11-year-old son Avery attends the school, said he had also struggled in his previous setting.
She said she and her husband had often needed to take extended leave from work because he was at home.
“Since starting at The Greater Horseshoe School, the change in Avery has been amazing,” Ms Anderson said.
“He now looks forward to going to school and has even caught up with his age-related expectations.
“It has been brilliant to see his confidence grow and watch him discover things that he enjoys. He loves the garden at the farm site, where the children learn about food production and animal care.”
Ms Anderson said she would not know what the family would do if the farm site closed.
“Avery can’t cope with the more formal settings,” she said.
“Like many other children at the school, he’d have to be placed elsewhere, but where, and when?
“There’s already such a substantial shortage of suitable specialist places for children like Avery as it is.”
Headteacher Mrs Hewitt said the farm site included small animals and vegetable plots, making it “just like a small farm”.
“The farm site and the work we do there make an incredible difference to the lives of our students, and to their future prospects,” she said.
“It is their safe space and the closure of the site would be devastating for all involved.
“We can’t imagine the school without it. We have tried to find an alternative in the local area but there is just nothing suitable and available.”
She added that the school would not operate the site if it believed there was a risk to pupils.
Members of Teignbridge District Council's planning committee are expected to consider the application on September 22.