Details of the Poultry Husbandry syallabus and examination that leads to the award of a Junior Poultry Proficiency Certificate can be obtained from the Secretary. In 1998, three individual fanciers - Jon Mason, Jonathan Grubb, and Tim Nicholas - successfully applied to take the examination. Learning through their hobby and without formal instructions from school they produced very creditable scripts. Hopefully news of their success will encourage other juniors to take the examination.

Many school's have taken part in the scheme and find it extremely useful in supplementing the learning experience. Mrs Brendagh Hamilton teacher at Northern Ireland's Fleming Fulton School writes:

"Fleming Fulton School is a school for physically handicapped children, situated on the outskirts of Belfast. Children enter the nursery at three years of age and follow their education course until they leave at eighteen. A Poultry Project was started in June 1987 with money received from Children in Need. Three small Poultry houses (housing Australorp, Leghorn and Rhode Island Red bantams) and a storehouse were built to our particular specificastion, to allow physically disabled children complete access to operate and manage the unit. We sell our own eggs; breed our own stock; rear our own chicks; exhibit at local shows; run a school Poultry Club - we have designed our own label badge and a pocket badge; created an exhibition area where we keep books, posters, charts, models, incubators, brooder and candler; have our own Award Scheme and a beautiful perpetual trophy; we produce a Poultry Club newsletter full of news, views and competitions

Five children at the school successfully took the exam and all were successful. Danna Sloan (14) says of her involvement:

"I am only able write using a computer and I appreciated the papers being re-arranged for me so I did not have to draw diagrams. I felt quite nervous to begin with but at the same time exhilarated at being able to answer the questions and at the sudden realisation that I had actually learnt such a lot. It had all been such fun that it was not like learning as we know it! I enjoy caring for the poultry and get great satisfaction from collecting eggs and watching the chicks hatch out. It did not take me long to realise that even though I was in a wheelchair and had not got good hand control, I was nevertheless able to do all the necessary work in caring for the poultry . . . . and when any difficulty did arise we just found a way around it. I was determined to do everything there was to be done . . . . and to do it well. It has been my first experience of working with animals and I hope after I leave school I will be able to continue having some bantams of my own."

The examination can be taken anywhere providing a suitable invigilator (eg. a schoolteacher, neighbour etc.) can be present to supervise the final examination. If you would like further details of the syllabus or the examination, or you would like to get involved, please contact Malcolm Thompson by email, or write to: Solomans Farm, Latchley, Gunnislake, Cornwall, PL18 9AX.