Co-Curricular

Outdoor Classrooms

Co-Curricular

Outdoor Classrooms

Outdoor Education is an integral component of the Scotch College curriculum, offering students the opportunity to enjoy Australia’s unique outdoor life, while nurturing respect for the environment and enhancing key life skills.

From the early years to Year 12, the Outdoor Education program at Scotch builds on each prior year’s experience with a focus that enhances the curriculum. The program also has a strong focus on sustainability and respect for the environment and being familiar with te traditional land owners in the area.

Camps

Camps are a part of the curriculum at each year level with Outdoor Education offered as an elective subject in Years 11 and 12. A sense of responsibility for the environment is fundamental to our outdoor education curriculum.

The program across the younger year levels is reminiscent of the perfect day out, with days spent searching for shells on the beach, exploring Cleland Wildlife Park and playing at the Woodhouse Activity Centre. Overnight experiences are added at appropriate stages.

As students grow, so do the connections and learnings outdoors. Camps become a staple for the upper and primary levels where students will learn lifelong lessons about environmental awareness, sustainability and the part they can play in it.

During the two-week Scotch Odyssey (9@Scotch) experience in Year 9, students will develop practical living skills, like cooking, shopping and planning. Emphasis is placed on resilience, teamwork, leadership, sustainability, and environmental awareness in addition to practical living skills and students keep a progressive, reflective journal during each camp.

The outcomes of the outdoor education program include promoting leadership, resilience, stewardship, cultural understanding and independence skills that the students will take with them throughout their lives. It aims to teach them how to deal with things when they get hard and how to be a contributing member of a team.

Our camps are managed by Scotch staff, in conjunction with several industry leading external providers, to further enhance positive relationships between our students and staff.

Beyond camps and Outdoor Education, Scotch College has 2 wonderful outdoor classrooms that provide a rich and varied learning experience for all the children: the Agricultural Farm on the Torrens Park Campus and Goose Island in the Spencer Gulf.

On-Campus Ag Farm

Within the 20 hectares of the College lies a fully functioning agricultural farm, complete with cattle, alpacas, chickens and sheep. An established vineyard, orchard, stable and shearing shed complement the livestock enterprises.

The farm was established on the Torrens Park campus in 1923 in recognition of the needs of the boarders who were from the country and needed skills as well as academics with which to return home, and was the first agricultural school in South Australia. It has since maintained its position as an integral part of educating Scotch students from all walks of life.

Now incorporating sustainable agricultural components as well as a fully working farm, students learn in a real life environment, often competing in Royal Show competitions and achieving first prizes. Students can learn animal husbandry as well as participating in oenology, horticultural, agricultural and aquaculture activities.

The Scotch Farm encompasses two environments – the outdoor (farm and surrounds) and the indoor Farm Skills Centre. These areas are connected with an integration of farm practices using technologies focusing on areas such as enterprise management and agribusiness, and sustainable solutions for agtech and foodtech at all stages of the supply chain.

Agricultural Science is offered as an optional course with many students electing to participate. An Agricultural student leaving Scotch will have a ‘innovative-thinking’ approach to production and land management, be entrepreneurial, be familiar with the leading industry technology, champion sustainability, and have a working knowledge of current industry standards.

Goose Island

Goose Island is a unique place for Year 10 students, with each class spending five days on the island. The expedition is a highly anticipated experience, unique to Scotch.

The Goose Island Conservation Park lies to the north of Wardang Island in Spencer Gulf, 13 kilometres from Port Victoria.

The College leases the island from the Department of Heritage and Environment and are cooperatively responsible for its management. This includes controlling feral animals and the eradication of introduced plant species, in particular boxthorn.

On Goose Island students get involved in a variety of physical and natural environment activities including sailing, kayaking, studying wildlife, land regeneration, and snorkelling through shipwrecks in the area and swimming with sea lions.

Students not only learn about Narungga culture, sustainability and environmental awareness, but they also snorkel, kayak, sail and immerse themselves in the seclusion of the island.

Through these activities students gain an appreciation of the environment of Goose Island as well as learning marine safety and aquatic skills.

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Head of Outdoor Education
Rob Stillwell

rstillwell@scotch.sa.edu.au

08 8274 4237