| answer text |
<p>Education is devolved in Northern Ireland. Therefore, with a small number of exceptions,
the department’s responsibilities relate to England only.</p><p>In England, the science
national curriculum has space for agriculture to be taught in various places. For
example, in the science Key Stage 1 and 2 topics of ‘Plants’, and ‘Living things and
their habitats’, the biology Key Stage 3 topics of ‘Reproduction’ (in plants, including
fertilisation) and ‘Relationships in an ecosystem’, and the Key Stage 4 topics of
‘Evolution, inheritance and variation’.</p><p>The department does not specify how
schools should teach the curriculum, instead the national curriculum is a framework
setting out the content of what the department expects schools in England to cover
in each subject. The department believes that teachers should be able to use their
own knowledge, professional expertise and understanding of their pupils to determine
what is the most appropriate way for them to teach, the aim here being that they develop
the right approach for the pupils in their particular school.</p><p>There is also
an Agriculture, Land Management and Production T Level available to students in England.
During the two-year programme, students will learn the core knowledge and skills that
are needed for entry to a range of agriculture, land management and production occupations
that include agricultural engineer, farmer, and tree surgeon, amongst a number of
others.</p><p>Whilst education is a devolved matter, if it would be helpful, departmental
officials would be content to meet their relevant counterparts in the Department of
Education and Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern
Ireland.</p>
|
|
