Ballyclare students get lessons in Biodiversity courtesy of CAFRE

Featuring a range of educational activities, the event allowed pupils to experience Greenmount’s excellent facilities, including the Dairy Centre, Wetlands area and the Horticulture Centre, and to find out about the diverse range of career opportunities open to them at CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise).

Biodiversity subjects covered included hedgerow conservation and maintenance, biological control, eutrophication, organic pollution from slurry and effluent and consequences on biodiversity.

The Ballyclare students were also given the opportunity to complete belt transects used to estimate the distribution of organisms in improved and unimproved grassland during their visit.

Feedback following the event was extremely positive from pupils and staff including Jayne Russell, science teacher at Ballyclare Secondary School.

She described it as “an excellent opportunity to learn about a range of highly relevant subjects that the students are currently studying”.

She said: “It was also brilliant to meet up with one of our former students”. These included Peter Allen who is currently completing the first year of an Extended Diploma in Horticulture at Greenmount Campus.

CAFRE recently hosted over 30 A Level Biology students and teachers from Royal School Dungannon at the one day curriculum support event on biodiversity at Greenmount Campus.

Schools interested in finding out more out about such curriculum support events can call 0800 028 4291 or email: [email protected]