UK: Shovelling muck and baking scones: The inner city farm helping vulnerable students stay in school
Oasis Farm Waterloo, a charity initiative seeking to provide ‘farming therapy’ to vulnerable children across London
By Jabed Ahmed
Independent
Dec 31, 2023
Excerpt:
On a patch of disused land outside St Thomas’ Hospital, hidden between railway tracks and council blocks, lies a city farm that is home to goats, lambs and chickens.
Oasis Farm Waterloo, near Lambeth, is London’s most central grazing space, and a stone’s throw away from the Houses of Parliament. The charity that owns the farm inherited the previously derelict wasteland from the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, after the hospital realised it couldn’t build on the ground as it was infested with Japanese knotweed.
The programme, in partnership with Jamie’s Farm, aims to provide educational and therapeutic care for the most vulnerable children around the capital, tackling challenging behaviour and improving their self-esteem.
During the 2021/22 academic year, the farm provided an escape for almost 300 students of all ages, including via targeted programmes for young people at risk of gang involvement. More than a quarter of children attending sessions at the farm were eligible for the government pupil premium – a grant to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. At least two-thirds have special educational needs and disabilities.
As we sit in a small classroom at the back of a traditional stately barn, Luke Rosier, farm manager, tells me about the importance of providing alternative solutions for children at risk of exclusion and crime.
