Darren Harris

Students visiting Hagley Farm School now get hands on experience in producing the food and the fibres we use every day.

Hagley School has its own local students but each year an extra 5000 K–12 students from all over Tasmania visit the school’s field study centre.

Co-ordinator Andrew Harris said Hagley’s study centre is an established working farm.

‘Of the Tasmanian Education Department’s five field study centres, Hagley is the only one focusing on farming. Two full time teachers work there.’

The other four centres are the Molesworth Environment Centre, Mount Cameron Field Study Centre, the Sustainability Learning Centre, and Woodbridge Marine Discovery Centre.

Funded by a federal government Kids to Farms grant, the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association gets in on the act at Hagley to connect grades 3–6 children to school farms.

Andrew said, ‘The students love the hands on learning, and teachers take what the children have learnt and the matching teaching materials to follow up in their classrooms.’

Hagley School’s study centre consists of three environments.

The heritage area includes the agricultural museum, the ‘Olde Classroom’ and cottage industries.

The animal awareness section relates to poultry, dairy and sheep studies.

And the farm – is the farm!

If students come long distances and need to stay overnight, Hagley School can accommodate up to 70 people.

Students regularly attending Hagley Primary School don’t miss out. They pop into the study centre every week to learn about food and fibre.

‘We have a shearing shed where students watch sheep shearing then see end products such as woollen suits and dresses’, said Mr Harris.

When the Kids to Farms grant ends at the end of 2022, Hagley Farm School intends to keep the program going.