Did anyone else study ' Rural Science' at School ?

[Oscar Namechange]

It was a subject that you either loved or loathed. I loved It with a passion. To me It was the very starting block of understanding nature and the enviroment.

The aims of rural science are to enable individual pupils:



to develop creative and aesthetic attitudes towards living things and stimulate lasting interests


to develop an awareness of Man’s relationship to his environment, and a caring and responsible attitude towards the land, the plants, and the animals within it


to develop an appreciation of the significance of horticultural and agricultural practices and technologies relating to the efficient production of plants and animals for profit and pleasure


to develop an awareness of the way in which economic and social pressures mould agricultural practices


to develop a confidence in safely executing practical work involving living things, apparatus and equipment used in the rural science laboratory and in outdoor studies in farm and field, woodland and garden


to attain a realisation that scientific methodology has practical applicability in developing an understanding of the principles of agriculture, horticulture and forestry


to utilize an understanding of rural science and its methodology in the pursuit of further knowledge and understanding


to develop communication skills necessary for reporting in an organized manner the findings of open—ended practical investigations.


These aims provide the framework within which any rural science teacher can arrange a personal scheme of work to achieve particular objectives for school pupils at different phases of their education. The aims also indicate that rural science has an intrinsic value within the total science curriculum offered to pupils in compulsory education.

Rural Science on the School Time

[Snowfire]

Yup. In middle school but not high school. So that was mid 60's

[Oscar Namechange]

Yup. In middle school but not high school. So that was mid 60's

I did It at Grammar school between 69 to early 70's.

Did you have a farm In your school ?

We had field studies where we went out for afternoon's Into the Forests etc but we had a farm In the school. We had a chicken house with hundreds of chickens and the school sold the eggs to parents. We also grew fruit tree's and vegetables.
We each had our own duty and mine was ' chicken duty'. Used to Infuriate my Mother because she spent so much time Ironing my school uniform to make me look clean and smart only for me to come home covered In chicken poop... but I loved It.

[Snowfire]

No we didnt have a farm. Just a large garden. There was a goat the other side of the school fence that "escaped" on a regular basis. It was funny to see teachers wrestling with it

[Oscar Namechange]

No we didnt have a farm. Just a large garden. There was a goat the other side of the school fence that "escaped" on a regular basis. It was funny to see teachers wrestling with it

Oh so wish we had a goat !!!

We had Geese and they escaped on a regular basis also.

[LarsMac]

We lived on a farm so we got the home school version.

[fuzzywuzzy]

We lived on a farm so we got the home school version.

Yep, as an adult I had to learn the hard way. At least it's given me some funny 'life' stories . All three of my boys have been trained up for farming. Actually it's what got them jobs as young men in other industries.

[Oscar Namechange]

We lived on a farm so we got the home school version.

The actual animal husbandry was a small part of It. We studied the science also such as photosynthesis, Vegetation Science, Atmospheric Science, Environment Science etc etc although being hands on with the animals was more fun than the classroom or lab.

[LarsMac]

The actual animal husbandry was a small part of It. We studied the science also such as photosynthesis, Vegetation Science, Atmospheric Science, Environment Science etc etc although being hands on with the animals was more fun than the classroom or lab.

I had three Aunts and an uncle who were teachers. We got a great deal of that. Everything was a lesson. And at school, every lesson was backed up by some field research at or around home. I just don't think anyone ever referred to all that as "Rural Science" back then.

Not detracting from it, by any means. I think such a program is a great idea. You should see some of my grandkids who grew up in modern suburbia. They have some fine book leaning, but they have no clue how the world works "out there in the country".