Widening knowledge: A clip from Greater Shepparton Secondary College’s Facebook page showing students on an excursion to an organic farm.
Shepparton’s first government secondary school carried the title: “Shepparton Agricultural High School” and was established in 1909 in Fryers St, with an enrolment of 33 students.
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The school was one of 10 agricultural high schools established in regional Victoria at a time when those regional towns were unashamedly rural, with most businesses serving the farms and when cattle were still driven through city streets to the saleyards.
In 2021, a more sophisticated region now produces $1.9 billion annually in agricultural output, grows more apples than Tasmania and produces a billion litres of milk.
In the urbanised City of Greater Shepparton, 10 per cent of the workforce works in agriculture, with the raw number just behind manufacturing, retail and health. Agriculture is the second-fastest-growing employment sector.
Keeping track: The value of agricultural production in the Shepparton region. Source: ABS
In 2018-19, the gross value of agricultural production in the Shepparton region was $1.9 billion, which was 12 per cent of the total gross value of agricultural production in Victoria ($15.9 billion).
An examination of the subjects offered at VCE level in 2018 showed that of the 36 areas of study, agriculture/horticulture was not represented in the four Shepparton and Mooroopna secondary colleges.
And for this year, 2022, only a handful of students will be engaged in studying agriculture at VCE level in a school with 2300 students.
Secondary schooling in Greater Shepparton is undergoing a massive change since the decision was made to bring the schools onto one site and create the Greater Shepparton Secondary College.
Concurrently, the Shepparton Education Plan began development in 2017 in an attempt to lift educational outcomes, offer a broader curriculum and address community concerns over poor engagement, academic results and student behaviours.
In the region, the Shepparton Education Plan identified that only 53 per cent of the region’s students were choosing to attend government secondary schools, with many families opting for private schools.
Against this backdrop the new “super” school is under development and the leaders are promising a comprehensive agriculture curriculum.
GSSC executive principal Barbara O’Brien said it would include compulsory units on agriculture at Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 as part of the core science curriculum. Additional agriculture studies will be offered as elective subjects in Years 9 and 10.
In addition, the school also offers VCE Agriculture as a fast-track subject to promote student selection.
“Greater Shepparton Secondary College has already created many partnerships with local agricultural and horticulture agencies to support innovative curriculum experiences for its students,’’ Ms O’Brien said.
Class is in: Timboon school students inspect automated machinery on a dairy manufacturing site.
Photo by
BA Vallance
“The school offers school-based apprenticeships in agriculture, with students employed on farms as trainees one day a week, in partnership with Wodonga TAFE.
“The school has also recently employed a VET innovation co-ordinator, who is identifying opportunities to promote the diversity of employment pathways in agriculture and horticulture in the school community and build student aspiration for a career in agriculture.
“Student absence and retention rates are major barriers to a successful education and are representative of underlying issues such as low levels of students’ aspiration, engagement in learning and pride in their school, all of which were identified as concerns in community consultation.’’
Ms O’Brien said current instructional practice was not delivering the outcomes needed for students to reach their potential.
“An effective partnership between parents, the community and the school is an important influence in optimising learning,” she said.
Committee for Greater Shepparton acting chief executive officer Jodie Fleming said the current boom in agriculture commodities and the new Shepparton Education Plan gave secondary schools and industry the chance to realign pathway opportunities for young people in the region.
“Industries need to better sell their careers to young people and showcase the wide variety of career opportunities that are available, and secondary schools have the opportunity to tailor the curriculum to be more relevant to all industries, including agriculture.
“We live in a region where agriculture is at the very heart of our economy and it is necessary for both schools and the agriculture industry to engage with each other to ensure successful and fulfilling outcomes for our students in a rewarding industry that is, and will continue to thrive into the future,” Ms Fleming said.
This is the third in a series of articles about agriculture in secondary school education. Anyone wanting to comment on the topic is welcome to contact us at editor@countrynews.com.au
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