Suffolk Rural College Explained

Suffolk Rural College
Coordinates:	52.141°N 1.213°W
Principal Label:	Acting Principal
Principal:	Alan Pease^[1]
Type:	Further education college
Address:	Otley
City:	Ipswich
County:	Suffolk
Country:	England
Postcode:	IP6 9EY
Local Authority:	Suffolk
Urn:	130821
Lower Age:	16
Website:	www.suffolk.ac.uk

Suffolk Rural College is an English further education college in the village of Otley, Suffolk.

The college was founded in 1970 as Otley College of Agriculture and Horticulture. It merged with Ipswich-based Suffolk New College in 2020, having previously been partnered with Easton College in Norfolk.^[2]

The college

The college offers full-time courses and apprenticeships in the following curriculum areas:

• Agriculture
• Animal Management
• Arboriculture
• Construction
• Equine Studies
• Fisheries
• Floristry
• Foundation Learning
• Horticulture

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

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^[5]

Notable alumni

• Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek)^[6]

External links

• Suffolk Rural website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Governance and Leadership.
2. Sullivan O (2020) Otley merges with Suffolk New College as expansion plans continue, East Anglian Daily Times, 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
3. Web site: Suffolk Rural .
4. Web site: The Farm .
5. Web site: Chambers . S . 2022 . County college to launch farm shop as student numbers soar .
6. Web site: Gardening superstar from Suffolk returns to former college to inspire current students .