Secondary Department

Agriculture Students shine at Northern Schools Steer Competition

Our Agriculture students have had a busy and rewarding year preparing a number of cattle for the Northern Schools Steer Competition, held last week in Walcha. Ms Burton and Mrs Upjohn accompanied 11 enthusiastic students for two nights of camping at Walcha Central School, ready to showcase months of dedication and teamwork.

The cattle arrived on Tuesday afternoon, just in time for the parading competition on Wednesday morning. This event judged students on their confidence, presentation, and handling skills. Congratulations to Georgina B, Charlotte G, Riley N and Ruby B, who all achieved placings in their heats — a fantastic achievement in a very competitive field.

The afternoon continued with a range of educational sessions and a meat judging competition, offering valuable industry learning experiences for our students.

Thursday morning brought more excitement, with a ribbon awarded to our school-bred heifer Lala, who placed a very respectable 4th in the over 400kg no-kill category, paraded by Riley N. The competition remained tough throughout the hoof classes, where Buster (shown by Charlotte), Big Mac (shown by Ruby), and Bill (shown by Liam M) all worked hard to impress the judge.

Despite some wild evening storms resulting in wet cattle pens — and a few soggy swags — our students showed resilience, teamwork, and growing confidence as they cared for their animals.

Ms Burton and Mrs Upjohn wish to congratulate all students involved for the outstanding way they represented Uralla Central School. We are incredibly proud of their efforts and commitment throughout the competition.

School Sport

Our students have had a great term doing sport using our town's facilities.

Future Teachers Club

In Week 7, four of our Secondary school students travelled to Sydney for the Future Teachers Conference. This was a combined schools endeavour, with Uralla joining with Armidale Secondary College and Guyra Central School.This conference was aimed at helping students who are interested in teaching as a career to not only get an insight into the profession, while also developing their confidence and leadership skills.

The conference is the cornerstone of our Future Teachers Club. Students self-nominate and participate in various activities throughout the year, aimed at giving the experience in the field of teaching (be it anything from early childhood to Secondary school subjects). Students can follow their own subject interests and focus on what they love - something that any teacher will tell you is the single most important motivation for going into teaching: to do something they love and to help their community.

During the trip, students were also able to attend a tour and Q & A session with educators at the Australian Maritime Museum. This was an invaluable experience as it highlighted the many career paths available to educators outside of the classroom.

This program is an exciting new initiative for Uralla Central School. We are proud to announce the launch of the UCS Future Teachers Club in Term 1, 2026, and look forward to supporting our students as they explore and shape their future career paths.

Good Luck to our Academy II Students in their future endeavours!