Berkshire College of Agriculture
Encyclopedia
Berkshire College of Agriculture is a further education
agricultural
college based at Hall Place in Burchetts Green at Hurley
, near Maidenhead
, in Berkshire
. It was formed in 1949 as the Berkshire Institute of Agriculture.
The following courses are available (as of 2008): Animal care and management, Child care, Construction (including bricklaying, painting and decorating), Equestrian, Floristry, Health studies and social care, Horticulture and land management, Mechanics, Public services, Pathways (a course dedicated to students with disabilities) and Sports.
As well as theses there are also numerous part time courses which span off from these courses. At the current there are approximately 800 full time and 1500 part time students.
As well as this there is residential accommodation for over 70 students and other facilities for students to use, including a well equipped gym, sports hall, chill out areas and bar.
, but due to the college's rural location, an extensive bus service is run to many towns and villages including Amersham
, Beaconsfield
, Bushey
, Bracknell
, Camberley
, The Chalfonts, Gerrards Cross
, Great Missenden
, Henley
, High Wycombe
, Maidenhead
, Reading
, Rickmansworth
, Slough
, Thame
, Uxbridge
, Wallingford, Windsor
, Watford
and Wokingham
.
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
college based at Hall Place in Burchetts Green at Hurley
Hurley, Berkshire
Hurley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire.Hurley is famous for its proximity to the River Thames. It is also within easy reach of Henley-on-Thames, Oxford and London. The parish includes the villages and hamlets of Cockpole Green, Warren Row, Knowl Hill, Burchett's...
, near Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
, in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. It was formed in 1949 as the Berkshire Institute of Agriculture.
Courses
The college was built to provide a training centre for agricultural workers, and has expanded greatly to offer work with animals and construction.The following courses are available (as of 2008): Animal care and management, Child care, Construction (including bricklaying, painting and decorating), Equestrian, Floristry, Health studies and social care, Horticulture and land management, Mechanics, Public services, Pathways (a course dedicated to students with disabilities) and Sports.
As well as theses there are also numerous part time courses which span off from these courses. At the current there are approximately 800 full time and 1500 part time students.
Facilities
The College is located on 450 acres (182.1 ha) of farm land. Each subject has dedicated facilities, including purpose-built buildings for animal management students, which house many species of live animals which students are encouraged to care for as part of their course. Other facilities include fully equipped Construction and Motor Vehicle workshops, Horticutural Science blocks, dedicated Floristry workshops, a large fully equipped Learning Centre and a day nursery (owned privately by Busy Bees but has student training area incorporated and also take students on placement). Equestrian students have both an indoor and outdoor arena, stables, horse walker, 2 BHTA courses and stabling for over 50 horses. Horticulture and Countryside Management students utilise the 450 acres (182.1 ha) worth of outdoor classroom space and gain valuable experience by working in this environment.As well as this there is residential accommodation for over 70 students and other facilities for students to use, including a well equipped gym, sports hall, chill out areas and bar.
Catchment area
As this is a further education college there is no legal catchment areaDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, but due to the college's rural location, an extensive bus service is run to many towns and villages including Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
, Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield is a market town and civil parish operating as a town council within the South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies northwest of Charing Cross in Central London, and south-east of the county town of Aylesbury...
, Bushey
Bushey
Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. Bushey Heath is situated to the south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow.-History:...
, Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
, Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
, The Chalfonts, Gerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, near the border with Greater London, south of Chalfont St Peter. Gerrards Cross is also a civil parish within South Bucks district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980...
, Great Missenden
Great Missenden
Great Missenden is a large village in the Misbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England, situated between the towns of Amersham and Wendover. It closely adjoins the villages of Little Missenden and Prestwood. The narrow High Street is bypassed by the main A413 London to...
, Henley
Henley
- Places :UK:*Henley-on-Thames, a town in South Oxfordshire, England**Henley Rural District, a former rural district in Oxfordshire*Henley-in-Arden, a village in Warwickshire, England*Henley, Suffolk, a village in Suffolk, England...
, High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
, Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth is a town in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire, England, 4¼ miles west of Watford.The town has a population of around 15,000 people and lies on the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne, at the northern end of the Colne Valley regional park.Rickmansworth is a small town in...
, Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
, Thame
Thame
Thame is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows past the north side of the town....
, Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
, Wallingford, Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
, Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
and Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
.