Helping more students into rewarding education careers

10 July 2023

A new subject developed by a Henley High School teacher is helping more students – particularly males – consider early childhood education as pathway to success.

As part of the child studies curriculum at Henley High School, students spend time at local kindergartens and early learning centres to apply their knowledge through practical assessments, placements and work experience.

Since Tash Farrier introduced a Year 10 subject called Early Educator to Henley High School in 2021, the number of students undertaking early childhood education studies has dramatically increased.

The subject not only gives students an insight into the rewarding profession from an earlier stage, but it also encourages them to continue with the pathway into years 11 and 12.

Students can also choose to complete a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care with the Vocational Education and Training (VET) program through their Flexible Industry Pathway.

Ms Farrier co-led the implementation of the first pilot Flexible Industry Pathway for Early Education in South Australia, and from this made this change to the child studies curriculum.

The change has driven up enrolments in the subject and dramatically increased male participation – from four male students between 2017 and 2021, to 23 in 2022.

Explaining the shift, Ms Farrier said the school had worked hard to remove the stigma around males studying early childhood education.

“The societal lens is that childcare is a woman’s job, and it’s challenging those gender stereotypes which we’re doing through changing the language,” she said.

“Rather than saying, ‘would you like to be a childcare worker’ it’s saying, ‘would you like to be an educator’ because there’s a lot of males who want to be educators but they get turned away by language and terminology.”

Ms Farrier said as more male students study early education, they become role models to the younger students, who then build up the confidence to take part in the profession themselves.

Image of two high school aged girls sitting on chairs in front of a group of young daycare students, reading them a book. She said many former students had gone on to successful careers in child-focussed professions, ranging from educators at early education centres and working as nannies in the US, to running rugby programs.

“I drop my own children off at a local early education centre, and there’s students I taught now educating my children,” Ms Farrier said.

Image of Tash with her Home Economics Institute of Australia award. Earlier this year, Ms Farrier was recognised by her peers, when she received the Home Economics Institute of Australia Award of Excellence for her work.

Kate Meakins, Assistant Principal Design and Technologies at Henley High School, said Ms Farrier’s innovative work had put Henley High School ahead of the curve.

“People don’t realise that child studies can be really life changing to a lot of these students, that may want to go into that pathway,” Ms Meakins said.

“We’re very, very proud of Tash’s achievements, and she has great relationships with her students.

"She’s an excellent educator."