Curriculum Framework

Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this framework is to outline Norwood Secondary College’s organisation, implementation and review of curriculum and teaching practices and to ensure that, taken as a whole, all eight learning areas are substantially addressed, unless an exemption applies.

The framework shows, at a high level, how the school will deliver its curriculum, how the curriculum and teaching practice will be reviewed, how we assess student learning, how we record and monitor student performance, and when and how we report to parents.

This curriculum framework should be read alongside our whole school, curriculum area, year level and unit / lesson curriculum plans.

Overview

NSC provides all students with a planned and structured curriculum to equip them with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to complete their schooling and to make a successful transition from school to work, training, or further education.

NSC is committed to offering a comprehensive curriculum based on the Victorian Curriculum F-10. The key points in this framework, and in line with the F–10 Revised Curriculum Planning and Reporting Guidelines, are a commitment to:

A defined curriculum content is the basis for student learning
Curriculum planning that is based on two-year bands of schooling rather than each year level
Developing and publishing a separate whole-school curriculum plan that documents our teaching and learning program
Reporting student learning against the achievement standards in the curriculum
Reporting student learning to students and parents in line with the Department’s Reporting Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10 policy.
Complying with Departmental policies relating to curriculum provision, including:

NSC provides innovative teaching and learning programs for all students. We focus on successfully engaging students as active participants in life-long learning. Our curriculum nurtures the potential of each student and encourages them to achieve their personal best in all areas. At NSC our students are well prepared for the challenges and rigours of an academic curriculum, and thrive on the opportunities offered by our sporting, leadership, and outdoor education programs. Instrumental Music and Performing Arts (including school productions) are an integral part of the school’s co-curricular program.

At NSC students are provided with a sound basis for a life that is fulfilling, respectful of self, others and the environment. We prepare our students to be flexible, adaptable, innovative leaders in our local and global community.

Our bonds with the community are a source of strength and inspiration for us. Our students gain much from their links and involvement with community programs and activities, whilst the contributions of parents and friends are valued and encouraged across all aspects of College life.

Curriculum Aims:

Students should expect a consistent teaching and learning framework (MAPS) across all learning areas.
There will be a broad offering of VCE and VCE VM units, and selected VET units to meet the requirements of students and to achieve a balanced curriculum.
The Victorian Curriculum will be implemented in all subjects.
Professional development will be encouraged for all staff to improve their knowledge of curriculum, teaching and learning.
A differentiated curriculum will be provided to cater to students at their point of need.
The improvement of all students’ literacy and numeracy skills will be a priority in the curriculum across all learning areas and additional support will be provided for identified students.

Implementation

Curriculum comprises all content that is taught within the college and what all students have the opportunity to learn. It covers how time is spread between subjects and is annually reviewed by each Key Learning Area (KLA). It also influences other activities undertaken by students, how teachers approach their subjects and how facilities and resources are distributed. At NSC, the curriculum is overseen by the Curriculum Committee and the Principal Class Officers (PCOs). Student learning is reported against the achievement standards in the curriculum and each KLA develops and publishes a whole-school curriculum plan that documents the teaching and learning program.

NSC offers a broad, inclusive curriculum and strives to enable all students to reach their potential. The curriculum at Years 7-10 is written and executed in accordance with the Victorian Curriculum. There is also an opportunity for students to be a part of the Enrichment Program (EP). Senior students undertake the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), or the Vocational Major (VCE VM) / Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) and students may also undertake a Vocational Education and Training (VET) or tertiary placement as part of their course.

Norwood Secondary College is committed to:

Offering a contemporary and comprehensive curriculum that is challenging, engaging and thorough.
Delivering a variety of teaching and learning approaches that ensure that the curriculum is accessible to all students.
Assessing students’ work and providing them with meaningful and timely feedback.
Allowing students to learn in an organised and differentiated way.
Teaching curriculum in regard to the learning areas: English, Mathematics, Sciences, The Humanities, The Arts, Languages, Health and Physical Education, Technologies and STEM.
Incorporating the general capabilities across the learning areas: Ethical, Intercultural, Personal and Social, and Critical and Creative Thinking.

At NSC, class time is structured into a fortnightly timetable, with 5 hours of learning per day, broken into 5x 60-minute sessions.

NSC adopts a Mentoring program to provide students with opportunities for increased connectedness to their teachers and peers. Mentoring lessons are held for 60 minutes per week.

Further information on how our school implements the curriculum, including the learning areas provided at each year level/band of schooling, and the capabilities that are developed by students across these learning areas and the approximate time allocations for each learning area, is provided in our whole school, curriculum area, year level and unit/lesson curriculum plans.

All staff conduct their classes using the College’s MAPS framework.
All learning areas develop and publish their curriculum detailing how they implement the Victorian Curriculum and are aligned to the Norwood MAPS framework.
The College provides a variety of programs that address the specific requirements of students in relation to special learning needs, disability, mental health, and different cultures.
The Sub-Schools in consultation with PCOs, produce a handbook that outlines the curriculum of each subject offered. This is done in conjunction with the Curriculum Committee and KLA Leaders. Parent Information Evenings are organised as required.
The Victorian Curriculum is implemented across all applicable learning areas and is reviewed to ensure a consistently high standard and curriculum relevance.
The College offers a select entry Enrichment Program for students who are high achieving from Years 7 to 9.
The College offers a select entry VCE VM class at Year 11 and Year 12, for students who require a more practical approach to learning and who are interested in a vocational pathway.
Students have access to a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program from Years 7-12 that will enhance teaching and learning.
All staff meet the requirements in terms of professional development as specified by the Department of Education (DE) to heighten curriculum knowledge and teaching practice.
A focus on literacy and numeracy is the responsibility of all staff, with the intention of improving student outcomes across the College.
Every student is involved in a mentor program, where they are supported by their mentor/a mentor teacher. This mentor will keep track of their students’ academic progress and wellbeing and liaise with the Heads of Year Level and Coordinators as necessary. The Heads of Year level and Coordinators track student progress.
An active Curriculum Committee makes recommendations to Executive to ensure a high quality, broad and relevant curriculum is being taught across all learning areas. The Curriculum Committee is also the body to recommend how time is allocated to each subject.
Executive in consultation with Sub-Schools and KLA Leaders, considers students’ preferences in regards to subject selection and makes decisions about what subjects will run. This body will meet the needs of the students, with regard to the College’s resources.

Language provision

NSC delivers French as a Language, based on student interest. French is an academic language which is spoken widely overseas. Nearly half of the English vocabulary stems from French and Latin (Romance Languages) and thus it was an appropriate choice in supporting students with their literacy and more specifically, vocabulary development.

Pedagogy

Student learning is the product of experiences within and without the classroom. Learning is enhanced by a vibrant, focussed, and coherent curriculum. High quality teaching is therefore paramount for a child to reach their potential – quality learning requires quality teaching.

The pedagogical approach at NSC ensures that staff teaching skills, subject knowledge and commitment are of the highest standard. In accordance with FISO 2.0, staff adopt subject-specific high impact teaching and learning strategies and these are used by teachers across the school.

Assessment

NSC assesses student progress in line with the Department’s Assessment of Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10 policy.

Students at NSC have multiple and varied opportunities to demonstrate learning and achievement. Teachers use assessment tasks that cover multiple curriculum levels to ensure that evidence of learning and growth is captured for every student.

At NSC, students complete common assessment tasks that are undertaken by all students studying a specific subject/year level. These are often formative or summative tasks which assess student learning at the end of a unit against the standards set by the Victorian Curriculum (7-10) or VCE (11-12). Common assessment tasks are published as Learning Tasks on Compass and appear on the end of semester reports.

Teachers at NSC use a combination of formative assessment for learning (to focus feedback and guide future learning) and summative assessment of learning (to determine what the student has learned at the end of a sequence of learning), alongside student self-assessment and reflection.
Assessment is used in an ongoing way, to guide future lessons and learning, as well as to keep students and parents informed of student progress.
Teachers use a variety of assessment strategies to gather evidence about student achievement. The agreed assessment processes and tasks are documented in Subject and Unit Outlines. The assessments may include, but are not limited to, tests and assignments, projects, portfolios, performances, discussions and/or student-teacher conferences.
Assessment tasks are developed to support students to show their knowledge, skills and understanding and will include clear instructions, relevant supporting documents (scaffolds, planning documents, etc) and allow sufficient time for completion. Teachers will make modifications to the task to cater for students with additional learning needs.
NSC develops Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for students who are part of the Program for Students with a Disability (PSD), Koorie students and students in ‘Out of Home’ care, in consultation with students, parents and where appropriate, with outside agencies. IEPs may also be developed for students with other learning needs e.g. dyslexia.
Teachers assess the achievement of students with disabilities and impairments in the context of the Victorian Curriculum and the ‘Towards Foundation Level Victorian Curriculum’ where applicable.
The English language proficiency of English as Additional Language EAL students are assessed using the Victorian Curriculum F-10 EAL.
Where possible, staff participate in cross marking of assessment tasks (moderation) involving assessment rubrics and work samples so that staff can apply consistent judgements of student progress against Victorian Curriculum Standards across the school.

Reporting

NSC reports student progress to parents in line with the Department’s Reporting Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10 policy. In addition, NSC ensures that there is continuous sharing of assessment information formally and informally with parents/carers throughout the term/semester, including through twice-annual formal reporting.

At NSC, end of semester reports are published to students and parents/guardians in Terms 2 and 4. The semester reports provide a summary of the student’s academic achievement in the different learning areas across the curriculum. The semester reports provide details about the student’s effort, behaviour and organisation and show student progress year to year via a continuum and five-point scale.

The report will be in a written format easy for parents/carers to understand and will be accessible in digital form with the option to translate text from English to another language, to cater to our school community.

NSC will report directly against the Victorian Curriculum F-10 achievement standards or, if reporting on students for whom English is an additional language, the Victorian Curriculum F-10 EAL achievement standards.
Both student achievement and progress will be included in the report.
An age-related five-point scale, where the quality of a student’s achievement against what is ‘expected’ for students of that year level at the time of reporting, will be used for reporting against the achievement standards in English, Mathematics and Science (where applicable).
NSC will use either a learning goals scale or a learning dimensions scale for other areas of the curriculum.
Opportunities will be provided for parents/carers and students to discuss the school report with teachers and/or school leaders.
Parent-teacher interviews, conducted twice-yearly, enable the opportunity to discuss the students’ progress and how they can continue to be supported at home. Interpreting services will be made available where required.

Curriculum and Teaching Practice Review

School curriculum and teaching practice is reviewed against the Framework for Improving of Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0). FISO and the FISO improvement cycle help identify focus areas for improvement and to evaluate the impact of introduced initiatives.

Review of School Curriculum

Layer of review/planning	Process and data used	Responsibility	Timeframe
Whole school	Curriculum Mapping	Director of Curriculum, KLA Leaders	Every two-three years
Curriculum Areas	Curriculum Mapping	Director of Curriculum, KLA Leaders	Every two years
Year levels	Subject/Year Level Outlines Assessment Calendars	Heads of Year Level, KLA Leaders, Team Leaders, Subject Teachers	Annually
Units and lessons	Lesson Plans/Sequences (MAPS)	KLA Leaders, Team Leaders, Subject Teachers	Annually

Review of Teaching Practice

NSC reviews teaching practice via:

Professional Learning Teams, which link the learning needs of students with the professional learning and practice of teachers and provide an opportunity for teachers to collaboratively evaluate the effect of high impact teaching strategies; and
the Performance Development cycle, which provides an opportunity to provide feedback to teaching staff on their performance to support ongoing learning and development, with a focus on how student learning can be improved through improving teaching practice.

Further Information and Resources

Policy and Advisory Library:

This policy should be read alongside:

whole school curriculum plan
teaching and learning program for each learning area and capability
teaching and learning program for each year level
unit plans/sequence of lessons

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL

Policy last reviewed	July 2023
Approved by	Principal
Next scheduled review date	July 2027