Farm Veterinary Summer School

Date: TBC Sunday - Friday, August 2025
Location: Sparsholt College, Westley Lane, Sparsholt, Winchester, SO21 2NF
Age Group: 16 -19
Capacity: 20
Eligibility: UK Prospective Students
Cost: See Below (scholarships available)
Applications will open in 2025.

Register your interest in FVSS and be amongst the first to be notified once applications open! →

What To Expect

The course will be a combination of educational visits by coach to livestock enterprises (surrounding farms, a livestock market, potentially an abattoir), some hands on experience at Sparsholt College (milking cows at 4:30am one morning (!), animal handling, pig pregnancy scanning, parasite diagnostics and attending a post mortem) and seminars and group discussions on topical issues. The maximum number of students is 20, so there is plenty of opportunity for discussion, interaction, exchanging ideas, making friends and questioning teaching staff and the host farmers. The course is run by three farm vets from the Royal Veterinary College and supported by two student ambassadors who are currently studying to become vets.

We are planning sessions on the following topics, but this may be subject to change, and no guarantees can be given:

Visits (most by coach between 9:00am and 5:00pm, some at Sparsholt College):

  • Intensive Dairy visit
  • Robotic dairy unit
  • Extensive, grazing dairy visit
  • Beef suckler herd with weighing competition
  • Pig visit with pregnancy scanning of sows
  • Sheep visit with handling practice
  • Alpaca, goats and chicken, management and handling
  • Visit of a Livestock Market
  • Visit of an abattoir
  • Observing a post mortem examination of a calf, sheep or pig
  • Performing a worm egg count for parasites
  • One morning milking (4:30am at the Sparsholt College Dairy)
  • Seminars and discussions (after dinner from 7:00pm - 9:00pm)
  • Changes and challenges in the life of a farm vet
  • Career in pharmaceutical industry
  • The veterinary course at the RVC and the application process
  • Social Evening on Monday (Quiz Night!)

Accommodation

Is in single en-suite bedrooms and full board catering will be at Sparsholt College.


The Staff

Peter Plate Worked for 27 years in mixed and then farm practice before joining the RVC, teaching vet students and carrying out research and advisory work, mainly in cattle medicine. Special interest in mastitis, calves and organic farming.
Beth Reilly After graduating from the RVC, internships and time in farm practice she returned to the RVC as a teaching fellow, covering nearly all farm animal topics in teaching and research but also working towards a European Diploma in small ruminants (sheep and goats).
Sophie Mahendran Graduated as a vet from Nottingham in 2012 and worked with farm animals ever since. Lecturer at the RVC, teaching mainly final year rotations. Particular interest in calf health, which she is currently completing a PhD in.

Apart from the educational benefits and an in-depth knowledge of farming and farm veterinary issues the course

  • help to provide some insight into production animal veterinary medicine and being a veterinary student
  • count towards hours of work experience in preparation for a  veterinary application
  • counts as a residential week for the Duke of Edinburgh Award (Confirm with your DoE leader that this meets the residential criteria before applying)

Students who complete the programme will be issued a certificate at the end of the course, and after the course we can provide a reference for any application(s).

Costs and Scholarships

The cost for the course was £1,400 in 2024, which is all inclusive of accommodation, full board, teaching and travel to and from farms and enterprises, but does not include travel to and from Sparsholt before and after the course.

  • Two fee-waiver full scholarship is available to a UK student who falls within our Widening Participation criteria. This will be awarded to the strongest applicants, after applications have closed (to allow us to consider all applicants). NB: There is no separate application for this scholarship.

Application and Entry Requirements

The week is intended for UK students aged 16-19 years old who are considering a career in veterinary medicine. The course will entirely be livestock/farm animal based, including smallholder species like goats, chickens and alpacas. However, the course will also provide a useful experience to students with other interests.

Testimonials

"Peter, Theo and Ayesha and all the other staff who helped with the camp were amazing!"

"I especially enjoyed the beef suckler farm, as I found it very educational learning about the benefits of a grass fed herd and learning about biodiversity and welfare whilst walking around the farm. I also enjoyed the morning milking as I found it to be one of the most hands on aspects of the week. The staff and ambassadors were amazing at teaching us about being a farm vet and answering questions about farm animal conditions. I also thought that the balance of visiting farms and talks in the evening was good."

"I enjoyed getting hands on with the milking and practicing practical skills like the suturing"

"I really enjoyed meeting new like minded people!

Contact Us

If you are a teacher, adviser or learner who is interested in finding out more about the RVC Sutton Trust Summer School, please contact us at schools@rvc.ac.uk. 

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