• There is a new syllabus structure with an increased focus on current and emerging technologies in agricultural production, processing and marketing
• The syllabus consists of 3 focus areas that can be delivered flexibly, with no specified hours for each focus area, or set core structures
• Outcomes and content are organised under the focus areas
• Content is available for Stage 4 that is identical to Stage 5
• When teaching the course in Stage 4, the Stage 5 outcomes may be adjusted as appropriate to the needs of students in Years 7 and 8 as suggested in Teaching and learning support
• Students undertake a range of practical experiences and project work to satisfy the requirements of the syllabus
• The indicative hours for focus areas are not provided, allowing flexibility in planning
• Life Skills outcomes have been mapped to the Stage 5 outcomes to facilitate integrated delivery

The organisation of the Agriculture Technology 7–10 image is from the Agriculture Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2024) © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024.

Agricultural enterprises

• School resources and local context determine the type, depth and nature of the agricultural enterprises studied
• Teachers should include some enterprises that are important to the students’ local context, and others that extend students’ knowledge. about the broader context of Australian agriculture

Course requirements

Agriculture Technology 7–10 may be studied as a 100-hour or a 200-hour course. In the 100-hour course structure, students are required to undertake:

• at least 2 enterprises, drawing on content from appropriate focus areas
• one intensive or one extensive enterprise
• one plant enterprise and one animal enterprise
• at least one collaborative activity.

In the 200-hour course structure, students are required to undertake:

• at least 4 enterprises
• content from all focus areas
• one intensive and one extensive enterprise
• at least one plant and one animal enterprise
• at least one collaborative activity.

Before implementing the Agriculture Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2024), leaders will need to consider the following:

• supporting teachers’ understanding of the changes to the syllabus structure and familiarisation with the digital curriculum platform to ensure the syllabus is taught as intended
• logistical complexities, including
  • coordination of rooms, technologies, and resources
  • prioritising practical activities as evidence of learning
  • updating the name of the subject in published documentation, subject selection information, and assessment schedules.
• resource and budget implications, including
  • ensuring a range of enterprises are available to meet both intensive and extensive needs, as well as addressing the specific requirements of plant and animal enterprises in line with the course requirements
  • legislative and Department of Education policy requirements for all new and/or existing enterprises are fulfilled and maintained
  • the additional professional learning for teachers and farm assistants that may be required to effectively and safely deliver new content or maintain enterprises
  • adequate release days for professional learning and collaboration and purchasing appropriate resources and equipment.
• collaboration with staff and learning support teams to ensure appropriate curriculum planning
• complexities for out-of-field staff teaching Agriculture Technology 7–10 to ensure adequate support and professional learning where relevant
• ways to explore, adopt and adapt
  • the sample materials provided by the department
  • curriculum materials developed in school to support consistency of syllabus delivery between regular and special education settings.
• ensuring legislative and Department of Education policy requirements for all new and/or existing enterprises are fulfilled and maintained including completion of an Animal Research Authority and compliance with the Animals in Schools guidelines.

Teaching adjustments and Life Skills

All decisions about curriculum options for students with disability should be made through the collaborative curriculum planning process.

Before determining whether a student should access Life Skills outcomes and content, consider other ways of helping the student to engage with regular course outcomes:

• This may include a range of adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment activities.
• If the adjustments do not provide the student with sufficient access to some or all outcomes in Stages 4–6, a decision to access Life Skills outcomes and content in one or more courses might be appropriate.
• Some students with intellectual disability may find Years 7–10 courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content are most appropriate.

The Agriculture Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2024) is based on evidence highlighting that:

• ‘Agriculture is, and has always been, a ‘very high tech, sophisticated sector’ (Pratley, 2021, p. 9) and this aspect of the sector is essential for students to engage with to form a broad and coherent understanding of the role of agriculture in society and community (Pratley, 2021).’

Pratley J (2021) ‘Agricultural education “rebooted” in Australia’, International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 29(4):1–10, doi:10.30722/IJISME.29.04.001.

• ‘Learning about these practical processes and their real-world implications ensure students develop a strong understanding of the complex nature of decisions made in agricultural industries at a range of scales, and to understand the dominant drivers of new agricultural technologies, such as labour demands, productivity consideration and improved sustainability (Lockie et al, 2020).’

Lockie S, Fairley-Grenot K, Ankeny RA, Botterill LC, Howlett BJ, McBratney AB, Probyn E, Sorrell TC, Sukkarieh S and Woodhead I (2020) The future of agricultural technologies, report to ACOLA (Australian Council of Learned Academies), accessed 28 August 2024.

Agriculture Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2024) © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024.

• How will the new syllabus affect classroom practice?
  • What is in place to support and evaluate this practice?
• What school practices and systems are in place to support teacher professional learning? What else might be required for this syllabus?
• What evidence is there that staff have understood syllabus changes and familiarised themselves with the new syllabus?
• What resources are required to commence syllabus implementation and meet planning, programming, assessing, and reporting requirements?
• Does the school have enough qualified agriculture technology teachers?
• What processes are in place to support out-of-field teaching if this is not the case?

• NSW Department of Education Planning, programming and assessing TAS 7–10
• NESA Agriculture Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2024)
• NESA Agriculture Technology 7–10 Syllabus Teaching and Learning support
• NESA Agriculture Technology 7–10 Syllabus Assessment
• NSW Department of Education Animal Research Authority
• NSW Department of Education Animals in Schools – Biosecurity