Urrbrae Agricultural High School is a Special Entry School.
All students must apply via application to attend Urrbrae.
Year 7 enrolment applications for entry in 2026 close on 28th April 2025.
Year 8 to 12 applications for 2026 can be received throughout the year, closing on 21st July 2025.
Please contact the school on 8274 7455 or email Urrbrae Enrolments if you have any enrolment questions.
Urrbrae Agricultural High School is a non-zoned school and each year students come from across the metropolitan area and country districts to join our school community. Sibling and family rights do not apply. It is an exciting place to learn, work and prepare for your future. Urrbrae is a specialist school for students with a demonstrated interest in and a strong commitment to any or all the following: agriculture and horticulture, agtech and the environment.
Each year the number of applications exceeds the number of available places at Urrbrae and therefore a selection process is used to identify the students who best match the criteria for enrolment.
As part of the application the student applying will be required to address the selection criteria, available in the tab above. A copy of the criteria in Word format is available from the Forms tab.
How will my application be assessed?
After the application closing date your application will be assessed against the selection criteria for enrolment at Urrbrae Agricultural High School by a panel of staff leaders.
We encourage you to read through the selection criteria carefully. Although there is no right or wrong way to prepare your responses, we recommend that you first talk with your parents/carers to plan your responses to each criteria. This is an exciting next stage in your lifetime of learning and we wish you well.
Your application should reflect YOU – your achievements, aspirations and passions, and not those of your friends or parents/carers. We want to see your personality shine through in your application.
Remember, this is your application, so parents/carers can best help you by supporting and encouraging you through this process and by not doing it for you. A copy of the criteria questions in Word format is available from the Forms tab.
When addressing the criteria, please note the following:
- Decisions are made on the information and evidence that you provide to us, as well as the information contained in previous school reports and details provided by your current school.
- Please do not assume that we know who you are and what you have done – tell us! Provide plenty of detail about your interests and activities which give evidence meeting the selection criteria.
- Urrbrae has the right to withdraw an offer of enrolment if information provided through the application process is subsequently determined to be false or misleading. This includes any application written by someone other than the applicant. Make sure it is your work!
Your application will be considered on its own merit and must be about you. You can include relevant photos/images (no video). Your application should be a maximum of 10 A4 pages which includes any photos/images.
Selection Criteria
Please note that we do not expect you to try to address every “example of evidence” given below. They are intended as guidelines only to give you an idea of the sort of information you might provide to help us in the selection process.
1. Tell us about your interest in and commitment to agriculture, horticulture, agtech and/or the environment. (Describe what you do or have done that shows your passion for one or more of these areas. Include details of how you have been actively involved). (Maximum 500 words)
Possible examples of evidence could include:
- An involvement in a community group that includes environmental, agtech or agricultural activities in their program. Tell us about which group(s), what they do, how long you have been a member, what activities or events you have been involved with, what you particularly like doing, etc.
- Involvement in family activities and hobbies that relate to agriculture, horticulture, agtech and/or the environment. Examples could include travelling and camping trips, fishing, caring for native vegetation and animals etc.
- Experiences and participation at primary school in agricultural, horticulture, agtech, environmental or similar related clubs or activities. Tell us about them, what you did, what you learnt, etc.
- Initiatives and responsibilities at home – in the garden, recycling, breeding or caring for animals / birds / Tell us about your responsibilities, how you fulfil them and how long you’ve been doing so.
- Experiences with animals. Tell us about your responsibilities and level of involvement, any membership of a related club or society such as your participation in major events or exhibition of animals at shows, etc.
- Relevant “work experience” you might have Tell us if you have worked in a friend’s vineyard or a relative’s farm, or in the local pet shop etc. Mention any knowledge and skills you have gained.
2. Our Urrbrae school values are Respect, Rigour, Responsibility and Resilience. Choose two of these and tell us how you think you demonstrate these values. Include in your explanation how you get along with others. (Maximum 250 words)
These school values are very important to us, and all our dealings with each other at school revolve around them. We want you to choose two of them and tell us how you think you demonstrate these values.
3. Explain why Urrbrae is your school of choice (why are you are applying to be a student at Urrbrae?) giving examples of what activities and programs you aim to be involved in at Urrbrae.
In explaining why Urrbrae is your school of choice you can use possible examples of evidence such as:
- Your reasons for wanting to attend Urrbrae. Tell us about your interests and your hopes and the programs or clubs you would like to get involved with, and what you think you can contribute as a member of the Urrbrae
- Your ideas, ambitions and passions about what you might like to do as you get older and what you might like to achieve, and how you think Urrbrae will help with this.
- Feelings and values you have in relation to Urrbrae’s special Tell us about the things that you think are really important
4. Tell us about your leadership and participation in a range of activities both in and out of school that DO NOT relate directly to agriculture, horticulture, agtech and the environment (include both school and community group involvement, participation in competitions or clubs – including sporting clubs, SRC, music, drama, leadership roles etc). (Maximum 250 words)
Possible examples of evidence could include:
- An involvement or participation in a community club or tell us about any responsibilities you have had, why you are involved, how long you have been involved, what you have learnt because you have been involved, your plans for the future etc.
- Your role as a leader either at school or in a sporting or special interest
- Any volunteer work you may have done, either at school or in the wider
5. Tell us about your positive attitude towards learning, school and study, including how well you think you do in your studies. We would like to hear about your favourite subjects, and what you think your strengths and weaknesses are. (We will closely read your school reports to find evidence of this, but you may have other information you think we should know about your approach to learning). (Maximum 250 words)
We will carefully read your school reports to find evidence of this criterion, but if there is other information you think we should know about in relation to your attitude to learning, please inform us through your application.
Your application should be a maximum of 10 A4 pages which includes any photos/images.