Hen Corner

Sara Ward sees promises of spring

As the days get longer, nature responds with an unfurling to feel the warmth of the sun and hope is inhaled by all that breathe. The arrival of Valentine’s Day, often associated with fertility, traditionally heralds the hens coming back into lay and we should soon be collecting eggs by the basketful each morning (order them from our Bakery via our website). Real Bread Week comes around towards the end of February, this was when we started baking loaves for Hounslow FoodBox last year, and this year we are teaching others how to make sourdough bread both online and in person. If you’ve been reading this column over the years and have thought about taking your baking to another level, we are also running a Bread Angel training course that can help you start a new business. March arrives with an entourage of triumphant flowers and we get busy sowing veg seeds for the allotment. I love growing winter squash, they need little attention and are easy to store once harvested. We’ve built a large cage on the allotment to prevent pigeons from pecking at our brassicas (cabbages, cauliflowers, brussel sprouts, etc.), so I’ve high hopes for these veg as well this year. One of the first courses of March is Introduction to Making Cheese where we make Feta, Camembert and Mozzarella - along with a loaf of bread, of course. This has always been popular and we use organic cow’s milk for each of the cheeses so that it is easy to make them again at home in the future. As the Spring Equinox approaches, giving us more daylight than starlight we can keep an eye out for bumble bees feasting on the nectar of rosemary flowers and bold honeybees that leave the warmth of the hive scouting for food to bring back to their growing family of siblings. Our Full Day Bee Keeping courses start 20th April.

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West Thames College is Ofsted West Thames College is Ofsted rated Good with Outstanding rated Good with Outstanding Features! Features!

West Thames College are delighted to announce that they have been recognised with an Ofsted overall rating of ‘Good with Outstanding features’. Ofsted visited West Thames College between 28 September - 1st October 2021.

Principal Tracy Aust said: ‘It’s fantastic news for the College. Staff across the board work really hard to ensure that all of our students benefit from high quality teaching, learning and assessment, in a supportive and safe place and one which provides our students with the skills they need to succeed and progress. As a local College, we champion a diverse and highly inclusive environment with respect for one another being paramount. We were therefore delighted to see this acknowledged by Ofsted.’ All areas of inspection which included Quality of Education, Leadership and Management, Personal Development,

Provision for Learners with High Needs West Thames College are delighted had a consistently ‘Good’ rating with to announce that they have been recthe exception of Behaviour and Atti-ognised with an Ofsted overall rating tudes which was rated Outstanding.of ‘Good with Outstanding features’.

Ofsted visited West Thames College

Here is what Ofsted thought about West between 28 September - 1st October 2021. Thames College: Employability Principal Tracy Aust said: ‘It’s fantastic ‘Learners receive good support to help news for the College. Staff across the them find employment. Consequently, a board work really hard to ensure that very high proportion of adults success-all of our students benefit from high fully get jobs or progress at work after quality teaching, learning and assessthe end of their course.’ ment, in a supportive and safe place and one which provides our students Learner Satisfaction with the skills they need to succeed and progress. ‘Learners overwhelmingly enjoy their learning. They benefit greatly from friendly and helpful teachers who chal-As a local College, we champion a dilenge them appropriately’. verse and highly inclusive environment with respect for one another being parExtra- curricular amount. We were therefore delighted to see this acknowledged by Ofsted.’ ‘Learners benefit from a broad range of extra-curricular activities in college.’ As a result, learners maintain positive All areas of inspection which included attitudes, and gain wider social skills Quality of Education, Leadership and and confidence.’ Management, Personal Development,

Provision for Learners with High Needs had a consistently ‘Good’ rating with the exception of Behaviour and Attitudes which was rated Outstanding. Here is what Ofsted thought about West Thames College:

Employability

‘Learners receive good support to help them find employment. Consequently, a very high proportion of adults successfully get jobs or progress at work after the end of their course.’

Learner Satisfaction

‘Learners overwhelmingly enjoy their learning. They benefit greatly from friendly and helpful teachers who challenge them appropriately’.

Extra- curricular

‘Learners benefit from a broad range of extra-curricular activities in college.’ As a result, learners maintain positive attitudes, and gain wider social skills and confidence.’

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