THE weather may only just be starting to show us, but the lambs arriving at a Chelmsford school-based farm are living proof that spring is here.
A total of 12 lambs were expected from the ewes living on the farm unit at Hylands School over Easter.
Half had been born when the Chronicle called by, much to the delight of students who drop by each morning to see if there has been another arrival.
"We've missed all the births this year so far as they have been overnight," said Aimee Wilson, 15, who usually arrives at 7.15am each day to help out with feeding, mucking out and exercising the animals.
"We come in each morning wondering if we will find another new lamb. It's really exciting. I love farming. My mum grew up on a farm, so it's in my blood."
Sasha Coote, 14, is another early visitor to her school, which is one of only around 70 in the country to have its own farm.
She said: "This is something I love doing. I want to be a vet when I'm older, so it's a brilliant experience. I saw a lamb being born last year. It was amazing."
Farm manager Mark Riley said: "The lambs are a bit late this year, but we expect a dozen in total. At this time of year I come down around 5am and see what's been happening overnight. I unlock the shed, then the pupils come in not long after 7am.
"The pupils do it all themselves; feeding, cleaning, letting the animals out. They learn from each other."
As well as sheep, the farm, based in the purpose build Mulholland Unit – named after former head teacher Terence Mulholland – is also home to poultry, goats, rabbits and guinea pigs.
It is also a temporary home to some dairy calves that stay for around three months to give pupils a chance to monitor their growth and development.
Each autumn the unit also plays host to two gilts – sows which have not yet been mated.
The school runs a City and Guilds course in land-based studies, currently followed by 30 pupils, and a further 38 have signed up to start in September.
William Jarvis, 15, chose to take the course as members of his family run farms.
He said: "I really enjoy caring for livestock. My favourite animal here is the ram as he's quite muscular and can be a bit scary."
Classmate Jack Brown, 14, added: "I've helped out on my family's farm in Ireland. It's really good experience as it can be a tough job working with animals. It's long hours and cold in the winter, but I enjoy it."
Every student has lessons about food and farming so they are fully aware of where their food comes from. As well as a core of pupils who help out on the farm before and after lessons, and even during their lunch hours, the school runs a farm club to introduce pupils as young as 11 to methods of keeping livestock.
Mr Riley said: "We have pupils who are here every day, some who come once a week, and some who only drop in once a year.
"We encourage them to come in whenever they want.
"Other departments use us as a resource," he added.
"We're popular with the maths department. If you are learning about weights and measures, what better object to use is there than a rapidly growing pig?"
