Hi are any of you sending children to Urbrae school or know of anyone attending My daughter is interested. The problem with web sites is that you cannot get a feel for the place.Thanks

HI Janey
It's a brilliant school - but you will have to get your daughter in at year 8 with the usual year 7 applications, it's extremely unlikely you would get them in there later on as they have enormous waiting lists. How old is she at the moment?

They have 2 - 3 applicants for every place, and your child has to write their own application and show their interest in agriculture and/or technology, their specialist subjects. If they can show that they take an interest in looking after pets, gardening club at school, have their own veggie patch etc, that's all in their favour.

My son is now in year 9 and it's the perfect school for him. In his year and a half there he has handled animals of all sorts, grown a veggie garden, and joined various of the lunchtime clubs but mostly aquaculture (they grow barramundi in vast tanks), marsupial (they have their own nocturnal house), and bee club (he won the school prize for beekeeping last year). He's seen piglets being born and calves being castrated!

Be aware it is a working farm on the site - those who join the pig club will see the little piggies go to the slaughterhouse and then cook up the sausages for the next school sausage sizzle. Also some of the show classes required beautifully primped and trained animals to be paraded around, and then slaughtered so the quality of the meat can be assessed. There are more than a few who can't handle these farming realities. :happy45:

The school grows its own vines and olives, and makes wine and olive oil and marinated olives, and sells them alongside various other produce in the school shop on site which is open to the public. They sell the best free-range frozen chooks there - they raise and slaughter a batch every 12 weeks I believe. Also barramundi, various cuts of lamb, and fresh veg and fruit as it is harvested.

Oh and I ought to mention they are pretty good academically too. The don't teach a foreign language as the agriculture takes over that part of the schedule, but apart from that they teach all other subjects you would expect, but with a very heavy emphasis on the agriculture.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like any more info Janey!

PS it's a state school, so only the 'normal' charges apply that everyone has to pay. There is no zone for this school, you just have to make sure you can get your kids there, but they do have a pretty good network of school buses.

This school is where I will be studying my diploma in Horticulture from next year. I only know what Elaine has told me (thanks Elaine), and from looking at their website. It does look like a great school, and I'm really looking fowards to going, even if I will feel rather old. :D

Ah but you'll be at the attached 'TAFE' rather than the high school itself - though even then a lot will be 18 - 20 year olds I guess :lol:

Hi, do not worry about the "age" thing, I was the oldest when I took my beautician course. I must admit at first the kids were a bit wary but in no time at all it was great and I enjoyed the experience very much. Good .

Thanks very much. :) I work in a Uni and I used to think I fitted in, but I'm beginning to feel 'old' compared to the students. We had a work experiance kid last year and her teacher I'm sure was a fair bit younger than me (I'm 28). Hubbie does keep telling me off for wearing 'student' clothes, so maybe I will be ok. :D

Elaine, do you know if Urrbrae has car parking for students? The TAFE web site has the address and phone number and that is about all the info you get.

Sorry, no idea on that one - I park at the school when I do my monthly canteen volunteering!

28, a baby. I was about 43 when I went to college in the UK, most of the students could have been my daughters along with some of the teachers! :doh: