A new state-wide agricultural model

Community update

10 December 2019

A new state-wide agricultural education model

The NSW Government is spending $6.7 billion over four years to deliver more than 190 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.

A new model for state wide agricultural education is being designed. The establishment of Richmond Agricultural College includes a new Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Education in the Hawkesbury and the creation of a new agricultural specialty stream and a new academically selective stream at Richmond High School. As part of this new model, Hurlstone Agricultural High School will keep its name and stay at the Glenfield site.

Richmond High School

Richmond High School will be upgraded to support an agricultural specialty stream and a new academically selective stream. There will be an upgrade to facilities focused on the delivery of agricultural education.

Students will be able to enrol in the new academically selective stream through the traditional selective schools entry method. Entry to the agricultural specialty stream will be through a rigorous selection process, based on a portfolio and interview, to determine student interest and potential in agricultural education.

Local students will still enrol in Richmond High School as they always have and it will remain a comprehensive high school, in addition to having a partially selective stream of student intake.

Local students in the catchment for Richmond High School will continue to enrol in the usual way and will not be required to apply though specific entry pathways unless they wish to access the selective or agricultural specialist stream. Richmond High School students will benefit from new facilities, access to the Centre of Excellence and a broader range of elective courses due to increased student numbers.

Centre of Excellence

A new residential Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Education will be co-located with the Western Sydney University (WSU) Hawkesbury campus. It will be available for agricultural students from Richmond High School, Hurlstone Agricultural High School and all other schools in NSW. It will also be available for teacher training for TAFE, WSU, industry and overseas students. 

Hurlstone Agricultural High School

As part of this new model, Hurlstone Agricultural High School will keep its name and stay at the Glenfield site as an academically selective, boarding, agricultural high school. Boarding facilities will be upgraded and the dairy facilities will be retained.

Keeping you updated

The new plans for Hurlstone Agricultural High School, Richmond High School and the Centre of Excellence will be presented as the preferred option in a business case that will be submitted to NSW Treasury in early 2020.

Before we finalise the business case, we will consult with the community. Information sessions are planned for February 2020 in Glenfield and Richmond. We will provide further information on dates and locations of these sessions in January 2020.

For more information contact:

School Infrastructure NSW
Email: schoolinfrastructure@det.nsw.edu.au
Phone: 1300 482 651
www.schoolinfrastructure.nsw.gov.au/

Richmond Agricultural College:

-Richmond High School

E: Richmond-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richmondhighschool

-Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Education

E: RichmondAgCollege-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CentreExcellenceAgEdRichmond