Rationale

Students in some regional schools have an interest in specific areas that are not covered in the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) courses. The Animal studies course provides the opportunity to extend and develop student interest beyond the scope of the NESA-developed Agricultural Technology syllabus in the specialised fields of Sheep and wool science and Equine studies.

Aim

The course develops:

• an understanding and knowledge of specific animal industries
• skills and knowledge in the management of a species to meet industry goals
• safe work practices and management when working with animals
• an empathy and appreciation for animal wellbeing.

Staffing requirements

Teaching Animal studies requires specialist knowledge, training, and support staff.

Equine studies

• access to staff with recognised tertiary qualification in an equine course
• equine management staff.

Sheep and wool science

• teaching staff with advanced knowledge and understanding of using genetic data to select and breed and manage sheep
• farm assistant.

School resources

• Schools must have a property identification code issued by local land services and record all movements using relevant systems.
• Schools with animals must have a signed Animal Research Authority and follow the guidelines for each species published on Animals in schools.
• Schools will require specialised facilities, equipment and staff expertise to deliver the different specialised fields in the Animal studies course. An outline is listed below.

Equine studies

• round yard, fenced riding arena and paddocks
• stables or covered yards
• tie up and wash bays
• automatic drinking troughs

Sheep and wool science

• enough sheep to prevent overuse
• suitable yards, race and handler with draft and electronic weighing capability
• access to Australian Breeding Values for flock
• shearing and wool management facilities
• tissue sampling unit, electronic identification reader and worm egg count equipment
• opportunities to observe artificial insemination and embryo transfer

Work, health and safety considerations

Sheep must be selected for their suitability to the school environment (temperament) and procedures for safe handling understood and followed.

A Horse Suitability Assessment Tool has been developed to assist schools in determining whether horses are suitable for the school environment. This tool must be used every time the horses arrive at the school.

Class sizes

Class sizes for this course are not addressed specifically in the staffing agreement. It is recommended that class sizes should be reduced to ensure the safety of the students.

• recommend that no class need exceed 24 students for Sheep and wool science.
• recommend that no class need exceed 20 students for Equine studies
• when riding horses, it is recommended there be no more than 6 riders per instructor.

Schools may need to consider the following if delivering Animal studies:

• provision of adequate time for planning and programming
• resourcing, including
  • staffing
  • new teaching resources and materials
• budget implications to upskill teachers, including casual release.

• Learning sequence – core 1 – the industry (DOCX 245 KB)
• Assessment sample – core 1 – the industry (DOCX 240 KB)
• Learning sequence – option E4 – horse conformation and selection (DOCX 241 KB)
• Assessment sample – option E4 – horse conformation and assessment (DOCX 238 KB)

• Learning sequence – core 3 – animal health and disease (DOCX 241 KB)
• Assessment sample – core 3 – animal health and disease (DOCX 243 KB)
• Learning sequence – option S4 – wool harvesting (DOCX 246 KB)
• Assessment sample – option S4 – wool harvesting (DOCX 238 KB)