PUPILS from eight primary schools in the Isle of Man will have the chance to learn about farm animals firsthand next week.
Ramsey Grammar School's rural science unit is taking its farm animals on a road-trip to educate younger pupils about life on the farm.
GCSE students, who are studying environmental and land based science, will talk to the younger pupils about how they look after their animals and will discuss the RSPCA's Five Freedoms and Red Tractor Assured Food Standards.
Jo Callister, the Department of Education and Children's advisory teacher for the Manx Curriculum, explained: "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."
Ramsey Grammar School has been teaching rural science to pupils for generations. Four years ago the school installed a state of the art rural science facility that accommodates sows and their piglets.
The day to day work of looking after the livestock in the unit is carried out by student volunteers who inspect and feed the animals before and after school.
John Craine, the 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."
The roadshow is being held in conjunction with the Manx National Farmers' Union.
President Ray Craine 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."
This year Ramsey Grammar School 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.
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