About Us · The Jamie's Farm Story

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In 2005, Jamie was a teacher and participant on the innovative Teach First programme, teaching at Haling Manor High school, a large comprehensive in South London. Having grown up with a passion for farming, and discovering that the pupils he taught had a real lack of experience of agriculture, he decided to bring two sheep back from his family home in Bath to his school.

The sheep were housed next to the playground and Jamie noted the instant impact on the students who thrived from the responsibility of feeding and caring for the animals. Teachers also noticed a remarkable change in the attitude of these individuals towards their school life which led to a noticeable drop in the number of playground fights.

On the back of this success, Jamie hosted ten separate school trips at his farm in Bath between 2005 and 2008 and realised that the experience of living and working in the countryside was giving otherwise de-motivated and disengaged students a new purpose and direction in their lives. In October 2008, Jamie returned to Bath to establish the charity Jamie's Farm, with a view to positively impacting as many young people as possible through this unique offering.

At the end of 2009 over 350 young people have visited us at Jamie's Farm and we hope to provide this opportunity to 300 more in 2010.