Surrey Homes | SH101 | June 2023 | Education Supplement inside

Education Supplement
We built
a ZOO
Never work with animals
or children, they said.
Forget that! We’ve been
so excited to hear all
about Bede’s zoo.
If you go down to Bede’s Senior
school, you’re in for a big surprise.
In the heart of its 120-acre campus,
in the rural village of Upper Dicker,
East Sussex, is something rather
unexpected and it’s actually the first
of its kind – a zoo within a school!
Bede’s Zoo is the culmination of
Bede’s mission to do things differently.
Set up 10 years ago, it became a member
of the British and Irish Association of
Zoos and Aquariums in 2020 and has
grown over the years to include sixteen
separate enclosures with 70 species of
mammal, reptile, amphibian and bird.
Species include Meerkats, Ring-tailed
Lemurs, Binturongs, Lemon Doves
and the most recent arrivals, a pair of
Rankin’s Dragons. The rarest animals in
the zoo are three Grandidier’s Vontsira
- a little-known species of Mongoose
from a small corner of Madagascar.
There are just 1,000 remaining in the
wild, and as part of a drive to save the
species, nine are held in captivity in
Europe with the hope that they will
breed. Four are at Chester Zoo, a further
two at Magdeburg Zoo in Germany,
and three are living at Bede’s School.
This special project is one of many
conservation projects that the Bede’s
Zoo team and pupils are involved in.
The zoo provides a teaching resource,
which enables pupils to learn and
to pursue their interests, and allows
pupils to participate in national and
international programmes for the
benefit of wildlife. About 18 sixth
formers every year study BTEC Animal
Management at the school – a course
usually only available at specialist
colleges. The course studies topics
including animal welfare and ethics,
health and disease, animal behaviour,
practical animal husbandry and work
experience in the land-based sector.
Bede’s has a passionate teaching
team who ensure that pupils receive
hands-on learning working within the
zoo. That zoo doesn’t just enrich the
learning experiences of pupils who
study BTEC Animal Management,
it also hosts one of the school’s most
popular activities – the Zoological
Society – and often welcomes visits
from local primary schools and other
community organisations and groups.
Connecting with animals is enriching,
calming and fulfilling for all those
who visit the zoo. Interacting, feeding
and gaining the animals’ trust brings
a sense of purpose and joy to Bede’s
young people who get to enjoy these
opportunities within their school day.
Deputy Head at Bede’s, John
Tuson, who has overseen the
development of the zoo and recently
published a book about the zoos of
Britain and Ireland, says, “Our school
zoo, in which a small but significant
number of pupils study and a greater
number come in order to benefit
from being able to spend time with
animals, is the embodiment of our
belief that all pupils should be given
the opportunity to find their niche.
As a school, we are enormously lucky
to have such a facility in our midst.”
Find out more about Bede’s unique
schooling opportunities at bedes.org
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