You may have come across the Varndean Goats in the media in recent months: they’ve certainly had a fair bit of attention. They’ve been on TV, the news, radio, they’ve wooed and flirted with the edu-press and they have also been the media darlings of the edu-Twitterati. Frankly, if you work in education and you haven’t got a Varndean Goats badge, then there’s a significant hole in your CV.

But why did I introduce goats to an urban secondary school in the middle of Brighton in the first place? An obvious response is about the pastoral benefits of teaching city children to care about animals, to develop their skills in responsibility, leadership and nurture. You only have to watch the transition of a squawk of Year 9 corridor-confident girl-teens into a huddle of hushed and awed children once they enter the goat quad, to believe in the power of animals. We also do more discreet work one-to-one, which is all the more powerful to watch. But there is much more to it.

Animals as learning resources

While there is a growing EBacc backlash in schools, as well as a focus on outdoor learning and the need for the practical life skills in our curriculum, this sits alongside a funding crisis, a battle to fill school places and a need for schools to become ever more marketing and social-media savvy. And this is where the school business leader in me saw an opportunity to create a project that might just provide the lot. Of course, I had no idea quite how crazy our goat story would become, but opening a Twitter account for the goats was there on the original goat proposal I made to my head all those months ago.

You should never, ever underestimate the power of social media in marketing your school. We could not have bought the positive media stories our goats have given us, I couldn’t put a value on it if I tried, but the media message is now firmly out there: ours is a school that cares and nurtures in a fun and creative way. To me, that’s a very successful return on our hard work. And what an amazing experience for our students to see and be part of a national media craze in the making.

The school roll may have benefited too, with applications to start this September at an increase of 38 per cent on last year.

A goat is for life

Practically, keeping animals is, of course, a serious commitment and if you’re thinking of getting school pets I cannot overstate the need to be sure you have the staff, skills, resources and support to look after your animals properly, for the entirety of their lives. As a rule of thumb: if you’re not prepared to go out every rainy freezing winter morning to muck out and feed your animals, then just don’t get them. Think about holiday closures, health and safety requirements…and don’t underestimate the poop factor. Do your research. For practical information about keeping school animals, contact the School Farms Network, or visit some amazing school farms like Bebington High Sports College or Hunters Hill Outdoors, which inspire me daily.

Our goats have been funded in their first year through work that the students have done to fundraise: we have sold badges, jewellery, snow cones, rattled buckets, taken online donations and we’ve recently started goat walks.

Covering our costs in year one was a big achievement as there is always an initial outlay for the cost of kit, and the animals themselves, but we’ve also had parents building shelters, donations of play equipment, support from local businesses and a very large amount of donated fruit and veg from staff and students (sometimes, we suspect, without full parental consent!). We also managed to raise several thousands of pounds for Comic Relief at the same time.

If you are considering a similar project at your school, approximate start-up costs for a minimum of two goats are:

Goats: £500

Shelter/shed: £300

Bowls, collars, leads, hoof trimmers etc: £50

Food/hay/salt-lick (per month): £15

Vets: worming etc (per year): £100

Additional costs might be: fencing, weekend overtime, insurance (if not included in your policy), transport, handwashing facilities, boots, overalls etc.

Find your magic beans

As school business leaders, we know we have to find and develop projects that will work and fit in with our school’s needs and ethos. What works in one school won’t work in another, it’s about finding the best fit for your own context. Our goats have certainly worked for us, but that doesn’t mean you have to go out and become a pig farmer. You’ll know what potential your school holds. Find your magic beans, plant them and see what grows.

Hilary Goldsmith is director of finance and operations at Varndean School. She tweets at @sbm365