A new course called ‘agriculture and self-sufficiency’ has been started at Adamstown Vocational College, Coláiste Abbáin, in Co Wexford, for Junior Cycle students. The course was developed by learning support and business teacher, Dean O’Connor. There are currently 24 students in first year doing the course which has received approval from the National Council for Curriculum Assessment. This means that it is an examinable subject for junior-cycle students.

“I want to instill passion and love for agriculture in the students, to enable them to learn lifelong skills,” said O’Connor who also started an Agri Club in the school.

Students will be assessed in five ways; oral presentation, reflective journal, practical and written assessments – including a project on a chosen farm enterprise and posters on various aspects of the course.

L to R: Teacher Dean O’Connor; Michael Doran (ICBF); TD James Browne; school principal John Nolan; student Colette Wall; Minister of State Paul Kehoe; Enda Byrne from JCT; IFA presidential candidate Angus Woods and deputy principal Lorraine Simmons.

Dean explained to Irish Country Living that the aim of the course is to introduce students to agriculture, horticulture and self-sufficiency and to develop an understanding of the natural environment. Dean is from a beef farm in Oulart, Co Wexford.

“I have various aspects of assessment, overall there is going to be a short exam at the end in third year. I have two classroom based assessments (CBAs), one in second year and one in third year. The one in second year is an oral presentation, the one in third year is a project on a farm. They have to focus on one farming enterprise,” Dean said.

Two years ago we did projects on hatching and rearing our own chickens

“My students keep a diary of what they do each day for their reflective journal. The course is 300 hours over the three years, two classes a week.”

The school takes students that are members of Agri Club to visit neighbouring farms in Adamstown and on trips to Kildalton College.

“Two years ago we did projects on hatching and rearing our own chickens. We got to see the whole process of incubation and we reared the chicks in school,” said Dean.

The learning process

Agri Club members at the school grow vegetables in their own polytunnel also and a local lady, Mary Egan, comes in to show them how it’s done. Mary’s children went to the school and she now visits to pass her knowledge of horticulture on. Students that are involved in Agri Club are expected to collect the eggs and feed the hens in the mornings before class. The caretaker Tommy Buckley does this at the weekends.

My learning support class last year grew kale and then we cooked kale colcannon for the senior-cycle students

“Students get experience to grow their own vegetables from scratch, from seed. They harvest them and then we link up with the home economics class and cook them. For example, my learning support class last year grew kale and then we cooked kale colcannon for the senior-cycle students. About 30 students and 15 teachers had kale colcannon for their lunch that day.”

Laura Murphy sixth-year student at Coláiste Abbain in Adamstown, Co Wexford.

The engagement of the students in Agri Club and with the new course on agriculture and self-sufficiency is notable. School principal John Nolan told Irish Country Living that it has even helped to address problems with attendance; when the chicks were hatching at school one regularly absent student didn’t miss school for a full month.

“The students not from farms are interested and engaged, it’s gas because I have one chap from Wexford town who is seeing things he has never seen before. He’s making a big effort to learn, we’re a country school and have a good cohort from farming backgrounds. There’s 60 members of Agri Club,” said Dean.

At the launch of the new course on 22 November there were a number of stands in the school hall of local agri businesses; one student said that she found out that when she turns 16 she will be able to work for the Farm Relief Service which she is looking forward to next summer.

Whether it is farming, forestry or fishing, agriculture is so important to the towns and villages of Wexford and right across this country

“As we speak, students up and down the country are sitting down learning maths, English, Irish, French, German, science and many other subjects. While these subjects are really important core subjects and all part of being a student, you [in Coláiste Abbáin] are being given a totally different experience, a really important experience. Whether it is farming, forestry or fishing, agriculture is so important to the towns and villages of Wexford and right across this country,” Minister of State Paul Kehoe said at the open day on Friday 22 November. When he took to the podium he quipped that “it’s the first time I’ve ever had to compete with a chicken to say my few words”.

I’m delighted that Coláiste Abbáin had the vision and courage to give students a new option

IFA presidential candidate Angus Woods who was also at the open day said: “Agriculture gets a lot of criticism, but there is a lot of good in farming. It is important that people (students) like you can tell the story of how our top-quality food is produced. I hope that through education the next generation can tell a really good story for Irish agriculture.”

“We all need three meals a day and agriculture is about producing that food,” said Michael Doran, chair of ICBF. “I’m delighted that Coláiste Abbáin had the vision and courage to give students a new option.”

Agri Club

One of the Agri Club members Colette Wall (15) from Ballinamona, MC’d proceedings at the agriculture open day. Before introducing the guest speakers, she told the audience why farming is important to her.

“Back in the old days on our farm there would have been chickens, pigs, cereals and beef. But now it’s specialised in dairy. My favourite time on the farm by far is silage season. I love my tractors very much,” Colette said.

Colette Wall.

“What I’ve noticed is, when you’re a farmer’s daughter, you get to know every farmer in the area; what they drive and how many acres of road frontage they have.

“If I’m ever missing school in April or May, I’m more than likely in the tractor in the middle of the field with the radio up to the last.”

Colette’s brother Martin (12) is looking forward to doing the short course in agriculture and self-sufficiency when he starts in Coláiste Abbáin next September.

Agri Club members at Coláiste Abbain.

Another member of Agri Club is second year student Ben Casey from Galbally. His passion is showing sheep and he brought his rosettes into the school to display them at the agriculture open day.

“I want to be a farmer when I grow up, I’ll go to Kildalton to do the green cert,” Ben told Irish Country Living. “I have about 100 sheep with my granddad and five pedigree Texels of my own. I show them at all the local shows in the summer. We won champion at Gorey, Adamstown, Tullow and Bannow/Rathangan.

“The best trip we’ve done in Agri Club is the trip to Kildalton where they showed us all the courses they do.”