Suffolk Rural College is an English further education college in the village of
Otley, Suffolk
Otley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is around north-east of Ipswich in the East Suffolk district. The parish, which covers an area of about , had a population of 676 at the 2011 United Kingdom census. The B10 ...
.
The college was founded in 1970 as Otley College of Agriculture and Horticulture. It merged with Ipswich-based
Suffolk New College
Suffolk New College (formerly Suffolk College) is a further education college in Ipswich. It provides courses for students from across south Suffolk. In 2009 it constructed a new building costing £70 million.
Overview
Suffolk New College is ...
in 2020, having previously been partnered with
Easton College
Easton College is a college of further and higher education in Norfolk, located on a campus in the village of Easton. The college has specialist facilities for training in agriculture, horticulture, arboriculture, countryside, animal studies ...
in
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
.
The college
The college offers full-time courses and apprenticeships in the following curriculum areas:
* Agriculture
* Animal Management
*
Arboriculture
Arboriculture () is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. The science of arboriculture studies how these plants grow and respond to cultural practices and to their environmen ...
* Construction
*
Equine Studies
* Fisheries
* Floristry
* Foundation Learning
*
Horticulture
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
Location
The campus is located in the heart of the countryside and benefits from a range of specialist vocational workshops and outdoor facilities, as well as general college buildings.
The campus consists of:
* A working farm for Agriculture
* Equine facilities
* Floristry workshops
* Commercial Dog Grooming parlour
* Facilities for Arboriculture
* Horticulture greenhouses
* Land-Based Service Engineering workshop
* Construction workshops
* Engineering, Motor Vehicle and HGV workshops
* Foundation Learning areas
* Range of Sports facilities
The Farm
Suffolk Rural prides itself on maintaining sustainability within their farming facilities, reusing and recycling as many products as possible within their facilities while also operating in the most environmentally friendly ways possible.
On the farm the College have:
* Red-poll cattle.
* Sheep flock and seasonal lambs.
* Poultry and seasonal chicks.
* Goats.
* Horses and equine facilities (inside and outdoors).
* Pigs.
* Alpacas.
* Land-based engineering technology, including tractors.
* Arable crops.
* 95 acres of farmland; made up of grassland, mixed cropping, and environmental areas.
In June 2022, the College announced its desire to open a Farm Shop on campus when visited by
MP Dan Poulter
Notable alumni
*
Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek)
References
External links
Suffolk Rural website
{{Universities and colleges in the East of England
Further education colleges in Suffolk
Horticultural organisations based in the United Kingdom