Not every kid gets to go to school with sheep, alpacas, and pigs. Especially in the city!

But kids near Liverpool, England, do. Their school runs its own farm.

Woodchurch High School educates students ages 11 to 16. About 13 years ago, the school started a farm on its grounds. Now kids there learn reading, writing, and ’rithmetic plus lessons in agriculture. They get to access the farm during school breaks and at lunchtime too.

Former students of Woodchurch say the school’s farm helped them find their vocations. (The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word for “call.” Your vocation is what God calls you to do in the world. See Kingdom Callings.)

Former pupil Sophie Tedesco says the school “opened my eyes to the agricultural world.” She now works as a dairy farmer. “It was just completely different,” she says. “I just loved it.” Year 10 (ninth grade) student Ella-Rose Mitchinson dreams of becoming a veterinary nurse. She says the farm “lets me breathe.”

The area around Woodchurch is one of the poorest parts of England. Without the farm school, these students may never have learned about farming jobs.

And they wouldn’t have learned about North Ronaldsay sheep. Woodchurch students help raise, breed, and protect these rare animals. The sheep come from North Ronaldsay Island, off the northern coast of Scotland. The breed is unusual. And it is in danger of extinction. Members of the original flock eat almost nothing but seaweed!

Since the program’s start, Woodchurch has bred over 60 North Ronaldsay sheep on about an acre and a half. Farm manager Linda Hackett says, “We’ve had lambs every year.”

Why? Not all learning happens in closed classrooms. God’s world is full of wonders to explore.