Suffolk Rural College

Suffolk Rural College
Address
Otley Ipswich , Suffolk , IP6 9EY England
Coordinates	52°08′28″N1°12′47″E / 52.141°N 1.213°E / 52.141; 1.213
Information
Type	Further education college
Local authority	Suffolk
Department for Education URN	130821 Tables
Acting Principal	Alan Pease [1]
Gender	Coeducational
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 East Suffolk Agricultural Institute. 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 has 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

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 ^[4]

Notable alumni

• Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek) ^[5]

References

1. "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. "Suffolk Rural".
4. Chambers, S (2022). "County college to launch farm shop as student numbers soar".
5. "Gardening superstar from Suffolk returns to former college to inspire current students".