Curriculum

Curriculum News                                                       Edition 1

Hello parents, It’s Anna Flanagan here.  I’m the Leader of Curriculum at St. Patrick’s so periodically I will be adding articles to the newsletter for your edification!  There have been a lot of changes surrounding the development of curriculums and syllabus (in fact we’re currently in the middle of a NSW Curriculum Reform) and there are some interesting academic readings about how children learn I will share with you in the future. Feel free to email Mrs Pittman with any curriculum questions as I’m happy to answer. 

What syllabus do children in NSW learn? 

In New South Wales, children in schools follow the NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority) syllabuses, which incorporate the Australian Curriculum for key learning areas like English, Mathematics, Science, and History/Geography, among others.  NSW schools are committed to delivering the NESA Curriculum and Syllabuses for Kindergarten to Year 12. 

Key Learning Areas (KLAs):

The syllabuses are developed within broad areas of learning, including: 

Primary (K-6): English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Human Society and its Environment (HSIE) (History and Geography), Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE), Creative Arts. Schools in the Armidale Diocese also cover 180 minutes of Religion each week. 

Primary stages

Early Stage 1: Kindergarten

Stage 1: Year 1 and Year 2

Stage 2: Year 3 and Year 4

Stage 3: Year 5 and Year 6

Time allocation guide for key learning areas

NESA provides the following as a guide for K–6 time allocations.

The allocation for 'additional activities' provides flexibility for schools to incorporate activities reflective of their context and ethos. For example, St. Patrick’s uses part of the extra 20% for Religion, Mass and assemblies.