Putting Game On The Modern Curriculum

Public schools are beginning to embrace shooting more and more as Dominic Prince, invited to explore the Dorset countryside, discovers

Last December I was invited to shoot at Milton Abbey, a school local to me in Dorset. The invitation came from headmaster Magnus Bashaarat, so was not to be turned down. The school was originally a private residence once owned by the Hambro family. They used to host 1,000-bird days for, among others, King Edward VII. The present shoot is a much smaller affair but no less fun for that.

The Abbey itself dates back to 933; the gardens were laid out by Lancelot “Capability” Brown between 1763 and 1783. It is a splendid place of steep valleys, plenty of woodland cover and some rugged open landscape. The shoot has existed in its present guise since 2006 when it became an integral part of the countryside management syllabus, which is run by keeper Kevin Hurst.

Run entirely by the children under the tutelage of Kevin, it is a small affair with 30 pupils beating — all in high-vis jackets, for health and safety reasons — and others shooting. Some were very good Shots, putting most of the adults who attended to shame. The Guns were a mixture of neighbouring landowners — whose generosity makes the shoot possible, as the school itself has little ground — locals, farmers, governors and parents.

We started the morning with a stern safety briefing and then marched off to our pegs with the children in tow, all very keen to get cracking. There were no stragglers and all the boys and girls were as keen as mustard to get on with the day. Unusually for teenagers there was no moaning or groaning. The beaters got stuck in and presented some beautiful birds, though on our final drive the gun placing could have been better — but that happens on some of the best shoots in the country.