Specialist Dyslexia School Serves Up Sustainable Venison Meals

A specialist dyslexia school in Lichfield is taking sustainability to new heights by serving venison from their own kept deer herd as part of its varied school meal menu.

Maple Hayes Hall Dyslexia School offers a unique approach by providing pupils with nutritious, locally-sourced food while subtly teaching them about the farm-to-fork journey.

The school grounds, encompassing a 200-acre estate, are home to a carefully monitored herd of 42 deer, including two stags and seven young males. Some portions of the estate are intentionally left in their natural, wild state to support diverse wildlife habitats. These untouched areas provide the deer with secluded spaces and ample cover, allowing the does to nurture their calves in peace.

The venison is culled on site under a Food Standards Agency Licence, before being processed nearby, minimising food miles.

"It's a very sustainable way for us to feed pupils," said Dr Daryl Brown, Co-Principal of the school which has been running since the 1980s.

“When we heard Jeremy Clarkson call for schools to introduce venison into schools and hospitals as a novel idea, we felt that we should offer ourselves as proof that this isn’t a fad, but can help to reduce the environmental damage caused by the estimated two million wild deer roaming the British countryside,” he added.

The high protein, iron and zinc content of venison, coupled with lower saturated fats than other red meats, makes it a nutritious choice. As well as sustainable food practices, pupils learn first-hand about where their meals originate. On days when venison is on the lunchtime menu, dishes can include pies, roasts, mince and Bolognese. 

The field that feeds the deer at the front of the school is also the location for the extensive geothermal loops that give heat to the schools ground source heating system. Combined this with an extensive array of photovoltaic panels means that the school has a reliable, eco-friendly and economically effective heating system for its historic and extensive buildings.

"The solar panels and ground source heating probably saves around £4,500 yearly on fuel bills, but importantly for us, when we have a property from 1860 that is impossible to insulate to modern standards, we aren’t wasting precious resources to heat it, just utilising heat and electricity freely generated on our own site.”

Maple Hayes specialises in supporting children with dyslexia through their unique 'morphological approach' using icons to visually link meaning and spelling. 

Founded in 1982 by Dr Neville and Mrs Brenda Brown, the school has helped over 1,000 dyslexic students develop literacy, confidence and belonging.

For more details about the school, visit https://dyslexia.school