Why choose us?

Richmond Agricultural Centre is a partially selective Agricultural Secondary School in Richmond. We are proud to be part of a strong public education system and welcome students from all backgrounds and cultures.

Vision and focus of the Centre in the NSW AgSTEM landscape

Through partnered learning and strategic educational planning, with deep knowledge of syllabuses and current and emerging industry practices, research and tertiary pathways, the Centre provides students and teachers in the DoE schools with a competitive pathway to a promising future in the growth industries of the NSW and global economies.

As a city based AgSTEM school the Centre provides local, high value educational and employment/tertiary study pathway opportunities to the students of Sydney and in particular the students of Greater Western Sydney.


The Centre is focused on the provision of AgSTEM futures, peri-urban agriculture to meet the demands of local production in the Sydney basin linked to protected cropping, new and emerging hi-tech production and industries such as aquaculture and closed circular systems, and agribusiness, agritech and agri-engineering linked to the new Western Sydney Airport and associated industries.

The Centre's programs focus on:

The Centre's programs see students from the AgSTEM selective and specialty cohorts and students and teachers from across NSW immersed with industry leaders, researchers and new and emerging practices, to ensure the NSW syllabuses are delivered in a manner that actually benefits young people, provides clearly articulated pathways to employment and future studies in industries that have demand as growth industries.

The Centre showcases the opportunities in delivering partnered, authentic, innovative curriculum that excites new and emerging teachers, attracts industry and research partners, attracts enrolments, and provides most importantly clear pathways to further study and employment for children without narrowing their thinking to one specific career. The programs and industry partnerships develop academic knowledge and capabilities that have been mapped to a broad range of university degrees, TAFE degrees/diplomas/Cert courses and employment. They have also been verified by work undertaken in partnership with academic/research partners and industry.

The integrated educational model developed by the Centre, as an educational and industry partner on the Hawkesbury campus, has continued to evolve since 2018/19 and continues to benefit young people and teachers not only in the AgSTEM streams, but across NSW. The Centre's co-location and integration on the WSU campus, is the primary driver to enable these partnerships to facilitate deep learning and educational pathways. The co-location on the Hawkesbury also allows deep integration with NSW TAFE.

In addition to servicing the AgSTEM streams, the Centre has continued to deliver programs aligned to AgSTEM, sustainability and Aboriginal Knowledges for students in K-12 across NSW. This has included schools in the DoE, Catholic Education and Independent Schools sectors. The Centre also delivers teacher professional learning for pre-service, primary and secondary school educators across NSW.

Contact us to find out if Richmond Agricultural Centre is the right choice for your child's education. Enrol today and join an inclusive community that values learning, growth and success!

A message from our parents

"Our daughter is currently enrolled in Year 8 at the Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Education. Whilst we live more than one hour away, we chose the school due to several reasons.

Firstly, our daughter came across the Centre because of a conversation with a friend and this piqued her interest because the Centre is a dedicated Agricultural and STEM school. Our daughter had chosen these electives for Year 8 when she was in Year 7 and so had a keen interest, particularly in Agriculture and was excited when the opportunity arose for her to move into a school that specialises in these subjects. Upon finding out more about the Centre and its links to industry and its different model of teaching, where it focuses on the practical applications of the subjects it teaches, we were very keen to move forward and apply for our daughter to be accepted into the Centre.

Upon commencing at the Centre, our daughter was welcomed warmly by the staff and existing students, and she loved it from day one. Frequently during her previous school years, our daughter had often complained of feeling bored and not being challenged. She has had the opposite experience since enrolling at the Centre. When asked how her day has been she will always answer, great! She has been challenged and has increased not only her skill level but also her maturity and confidence. It has been a steep learning curve for her initially as the approach to learning is very different and the quality of the work being presented by students is expected to be of a very high standard. However, our daughter has risen to the challenge. She enjoys the diversity of subjects being provided, the practical application and the care and dedication of the staff.  Our daughter has been willing to engage in Mathematics Science, and Geography competitions that she has not previously had the opportunity to enter. The learning environment at the Centre is very conducive to students wanting to do their best.

My husband and I cannot speak more highly of the Centre, its teachers, and staff. We are so pleased we found the Centre and that our daughter can continue her learning in such a positive, engaging, and diverse environment. She has had increased opportunities, and the trajectory of her learning is positive which is exactly what we had hoped for our daughter. The staff are supportive, encouraging and motivating and we look forward to our daughter continuing her journey with the Centre."

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A strong start

We help every child feel safe, included and confident from their very first day.

Support for every family

Our teachers and learning and wellbeing support teams work with our families. We co-design plans that help students learn in the way that works best for them.

High quality education

We offer our students a wide range of subjects and opportunities. This empowers them to learn, develop skills, and discover their passions.

Easy to access

Located in Richmond, our school is easy to access by public transport, walking or driving. This makes every day at school more convenient for our families.

What we can offer your child

Student success

The Centre delivers high quality, transdisciplinary AgSTEM programs utilising design thinking and partnered learning experiences. The programs developed by the Centre are focused on the pillars of Agriculture, STEM, Sustainability, Aboriginal Knowledges and Transition Pathways.

Our student success looks like:
  • participation in a range of extra-curricular activities
  • success in life beyond school
  • active community members
  • growth through high potential and gifted education
  • striving for personal improvement.
Our students have access to:
  • excursions
  • incursions
  • extra-curricular activities
  • a wide variety of AgSTEM subjects
  • tailored learning and wellbeing support.
A welcoming community
Our school is a place where students from all backgrounds feel safe, respected and part of the community. We value diversity and fairness. Your child will learn and grow in a school that celebrates who they are. We prepare students to be confident, well-rounded global citizens.

Ready to enrol?

You can apply online or visit our school in person.

Enrol

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Stories and highlights

Hear about stories, wins and proud moments from our staff and students.

Policies and reports

Discover our local school policies, reports and plans.