[Music]

Narrator

Curriculum Reform Communities support schools to implement new syllabuses. They provide schools and teachers K-12 with up-to-date information and resources on curriculum reform, as well as an opportunity to collaborate and share practice. A CRC meeting typically starts with an information update. School coordinators then get a chance to discuss new support resources, collaborate, and plan with colleagues.

Julian Floriano

So I lead the Cecil Hills CRC. We meet once a term face to face, during the regular school day. Just a great chance for us to get together, share a space, and share our stories together.

Nicole Reilly

The biggest benefit I found is the opportunity to have time to have genuine collaboration with other schools living the same things, we've made some genuine connections that have formed in the meeting, and have continued out of the meeting. Once the meetings are done, I go back to school, I take the opportunity to explore the resources further, share them with the relevant staff members.

Anita Sarkees

The biggest benefit for me coming to the CRC is actually engaging with primary and secondary school teachers, so we know how the journey continues for our primary school students, and just sharing of ideas of how to implement the new curriculum.

Marianne Bunt

I lead the Shellharbour CRC. We meet Week 5 every term. I get a lot of up-to-date information about what's happening in curriculum reform that I can relay not just to the staff here at my school, but also to the community that I'm working with in the Shellharbour network. One of the biggest benefits is the time and space to collaborate and talk and share ideas. Everyone has their own unique context, but we all find problems of practice as we try to implement the new curriculum. The CRC has really enhanced collaboration, because we have people that we know we can talk to and share ideas, people have exchanged emails and details. I've seen pairs and groups within meet one another, so they're actually able to work on similar problems of practice and share ideas and resources across schools. And anything where someone's already got something created that you can use saves us all time, so, really seeing that benefit. The groups really appreciate the time just to share, and sometimes it's to share about what the struggle is, there's so much going on, so sometimes just to know that we're all in that space together. Just a really rich time to talk about what's doing, share practice, that we otherwise wouldn't make the time for, and there is great sharing amongst our CRC, of resources that people have developed. People sharing ideas that others go and take away or tweak to their context.

Patrick Madden

You get to hear about what's happening in the new curriculum space, the updates, the new things that are coming out from the Department of Education. The opportunity to meet with other people from other schools to see what they're doing in implementing the new curriculum. As well as learn and share resources around assessment, planning, and programming.

Penelope Earp

Everybody gets the PowerPoint afterwards, and then they get the up-to-date information, it's an efficient way of rolling out such a big program. The school coordinators for the CRC aren't necessarily the principal, or the executive. They are teachers. And those teachers are getting firsthand, up-to-date knowledge, and they are able to work with their colleagues. And that, I think, will make it sustainable, that'll mean that everybody has a sort of collective ownership of the syllabus.

Cherie Smith

It's been so beneficial to hear about maybe things that worked or didn't work in other schools. Share advice from our context. And sometimes get a little bit of support from our colleagues.

Anita Sarkees

I would definitely recommend that all schools attend these meetings.

[End of transcript.]

The department would like to acknowledge and thank staff at the following schools and the CRCs for their involvement in this illustration of practice:

• Wairoa School and Bondi CRC
• Cecil Hills High School and Cecil Hills CRC
• Mount Warrigal Public School and Shellharbour CRC.

• Support teachers in leading curriculum reform in their schools.
  

• Capture teacher voice and feedback regarding the department’s support for curriculum implementation.
  

• Keep schools informed on the progress of curriculum reform changes.
  

• Disseminate and share information and the latest support materials related to syllabus familiarisation and implementation.
  

• Assist in collaborative leadership practice across schools.

• Accurate and consistent key messages to ensure curriculum changes and expectations are clear for schools.
• Timely updates on the status of curriculum reform.
• Support resources that include quick links to the latest universal resources.
• Professional learning that can be used to lead school curriculum change.
• Opportunities to learn and share practice with teachers from other schools.

• CRC are geographically defined.
  

• Each CRC has a leader. They disseminate information to school coordinators who share this information with their schools.

• CRC are supported by Education Standards – Learning Improvement curriculum advisors.
  

• Regular communication and support, including teaching and learning resources and professional learning included in all meetings.

• Meet and work collaboratively with Educational Standards – Learning Improvement curriculum advisors to understand updates and information about curriculum reform. This communication will be in a digital space specifically developed for this purpose.
• Disseminate information to school coordinators in their community.
• Facilitate meetings with their community supported by professional learning, resources and links to expertise.
• Facilitate consultation.

• Share information and resources with school leaders and staff to ensure they are up to date with curriculum reform
• Consult with school staff on issues related to curriculum reform that require formal feedback
• Represent their school as the teacher voice with consultation and discussion on curriculum reform.
  
• Attend meetings hosted by CRC leader and disseminate information to their school. (Funding to support CRC school coordinators was only available in 2023)