Learning to love our country sports

I am a long-time reader of Shooting Times. I am a teacher at Clayesmore, a co-educational independent prep and senior school based in rural Dorset. We are currently in the process of rethinking our educational priorities for our students. We are focusing on a more fully rounded education, with a weekend dedicated to outdoor education, offering as many different activities as possible for the students to enjoy with a view to improving their social, employability and leadership skills.

I am a keen country sportsman and have proposed this as a possibility among the activities on offer. I have read a few articles in Shooting Times about other independent schools that have countrysports programmes.

I was wondering if I could get some advice on what sorts of activities are feasible and a realistic expectation of what could be run by a school. I had envisaged contacting some local estates to see if they would be happy for me to bring a few older students to help out in the beating line, and clay-pigeon shooting in the close season with an eye to competing at the national schools competition. Also, perhaps, some fishing in the summer months, as well as potentially foot-following some of the local hunts.

I am trying to give the students an idea of the value of country sports and their role in conservation and land management, and help students create relationships with other like-minded people, as well as potentially showing them career opportunities in rural life.

If you could give me any advice or put me in contact with anyone who could help me with this programme I would really appreciate it.

Robbie Winearls, Clayesmore School

The Editor responds: It is really pleasing to hear of another teacher who is keen to bring fieldsports to their students. At school, on Wednesdays, I used to shoot clays with a man called Mr King and when I was older I would fish occasionally on the Tay tributary down the school with Father Giles, the chaplain. It’s the only time I’ve seen a man casting in a dog collar. At the shallow end you could host some casting competitions?

I’m sure your pupils would enjoy an outing to a local clayground. There was a school near mine that had its own clay set-up, Strathallan; perhaps it is worth speaking to them. It must have been a H&S nightmare. Or you could go big and get a pack of beagles.