Primary school pupils will be getting up close to young piglets and lambs next week as they learn about life on a farm. Ramsey Grammar School’s rural science unit is taking to the road to visit pupils at eight primaries. The roadshow is being held in conjunction with the Manx National Farmers’ Union, which is delighted to offer assistance with this valuable and unusual teaching tool. GCSE Environmental and Land Based Science students will explain to the younger children how the animals are looked after, focusing on the RSPCA ‘Five Freedoms’ and the Red Tractor Assured Food Standards. In preparation for the visit, primary pupils have been learning all about pigs, sheep and farm life via a special wiki https://www2.sch.im/groups/livestockroadshows/ put together by Jo Callister, the DEC’s Advisory Teacher for the Manx Curriculum. John Craine, Team Leader of Environment and Health at Ramsey Grammar, said: ‘Primary pupils will see young pigs, and ewes with two-week-old lambs, at close quarters and will be able to question our Year 10 students about feeding, health, growth and reproduction in pigs and sheep. ‘Pupils will discuss how they think animals should be kept on farms and then look at the different systems in which pigs can be kept, with emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of each system. ‘They will then decide on possible future use of an imaginary farm and how this use could link in with people in the local community. They will investigate the notion of buying local and supporting the local economy.’ Jo Callister said: ‘Despite the Isle of Man being a rural place to live, many children on the Island will not have visited a farm. These visits not only show the children how well farm animals are looked after on the Isle of Man but also allow the schools to tailor the visits to what is being studied in class. Some schools are focusing on the “field to fork” aspect and others the history of farming. Both the Ramsey Grammar School students visiting with the animals and the primary pupils will benefit greatly from this.’ Ray Craine, President of the Manx NFU, said: ‘Children learn so much more from seeing and being near to live animals and we are grateful to the Ramsey Grammar School teaching team and pupils for taking the time and effort to transport a unique educational display to each of the participating primary schools. The additional input from Jo Callister has ensured that there is a range of relevant resources and it is this joined-up approach by RGS, the DEC and the Manx NFU that will deliver a unique project to the primaries.’ Some schools will follow up the roadshow with visits to the countryside and other work. Serving a rural community, Ramsey Grammar School has had a Rural Science department for generations. Four years ago, development work allowed its old piggery to be knocked down and a new state of the art facility to be added that accommodates sows and their piglets in a unique combination of indoor and outdoor pens, with a viewing gallery for students. The day-to-day work of looking after the livestock in the unit is undertaken by student volunteers who inspect and feed stock before and after school. Rural Science is taught to students in Years 7, 8 and 9. Many go on to study Environment and Land Based Science at GSCE. Ten students are currently working towards an A-level in Environmental Studies. This year, Ramsey Grammar became one of the first schools in the British Isles to be awarded an industry quality benchmark, the Farm Assured registration, awarded by the Red Tractor scheme, a body that verifies standards in the agricultural industry. Ends