Auslan K–10 Syllabus (2023) – information for school leaders
Auslan is the language of the Deaf community of Australia.
The Auslan K–10 Syllabus is a new syllabus. For current teachers of Auslan, the Auslan K–10 Syllabus (2023) replaces the Languages K–10 Framework and School Developed Board Endorsed courses for planning, programming, assessing, and reporting to parents.
The Auslan K–10 Syllabus has 4 focus areas:
- Interacting in Auslan
- Understanding texts in Auslan
- Creating texts in Auslan
- Role of language, culture and identity.
Through these focus areas, students communicate meaning in Auslan and develop intercultural capability in d/Deaf and hearing environments.
What you need to know
Further information about the implementation timelines and the adoption of the Auslan K–10 Syllabus.
Timeframes
- In 2026, implementation commences in schools, with new
- K–6 Auslan courses
- mandatory 100 hour courses with Auslan as the selected language
- 100 and 200-hour elective courses.
- In 2024 and 2025, teachers familiarise themselves with the syllabus, and plan and prepare for implementation of the curriculum.
- Schools that already offer an Auslan program may implement earlier than 2026.
About the syllabus
- The Auslan K–10 Syllabus is one of 4 languages syllabuses to be released as part of curriculum reform, along with Aboriginal Languages K–10, Classical Languages K–10 and Modern Languages K–10.
- Schools are not required to implement an Auslan program – they can implement any of the K–10 languages syllabuses.
- The decision regarding which language or languages to offer is made at school level.
- Schools that offer Auslan must use the syllabus.
- In K–6, the teaching of languages is optional.
- In 7–10, students learn one language over one continuous 12-month period, preferably in Years 7–8 (the mandatory 100 hours).
- For mandatory 100-hour courses, there is no mandate for a school to implement an Auslan program – they can implement any of the K–10 languages syllabuses.
- Content in K–6 has been developed for 2 broad student groups
- students studying Auslan as a first language
- students studying Auslan as an additional language.
- Access content points are included for students with significant intellectual disability in K–6 working towards the Early Stage 1 outcomes.
- Content in Years 7–10 has been developed for 4 broad student groups
- students studying Auslan as an additional language
- students with prior learning and or experience who are learning Auslan as an additional language
- students studying Auslan as a first language
- students accessing Life Skills outcomes and content.
- Life Skills outcomes have been mapped to Stage 4 and 5 outcomes to facilitate integrated delivery.
- The syllabus can be adapted to support students who are deafblind.
Prior to implementing the Auslan K–10 Syllabus, leaders will need to consider the following:
- An accredited teacher with proficiency in Auslan and a deep understanding of Deaf culture is required to teach Auslan.
- Schools must teach Auslan as a language and cannot teach about Auslan, or about Deaf culture as this will not meet syllabus outcomes.
- Learning about Auslan and Deaf culture will happen through the teaching of Auslan.
- All syllabus content is considered essential learning to successfully demonstrate achievement of the outcomes.
- Schools must teach all content dot points.
- Teachers may need to access professional learning relating to the focus areas, outcomes and content of the Auslan K–10 Syllabus, and the impact these will have on planning and programming.
- School budget implications; including resources to support the program and release days for teacher professional learning and collaboration.
- All decisions about curriculum options for students with disability should be made through the collaborative curriculum planning process.
- Before deciding that a student should access Life Skills outcomes and content, consider other ways of helping the student to engage with regular course outcomes.
- This may include a range of adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment activities.
- If the adjustments do not provide a student with sufficient access to some or all outcomes in Stages 4 and 5, a decision to access Life Skills outcomes and content might be appropriate.
- Some students with intellectual disability may find Years 7–10 courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content are the most appropriate options to follow for the RoSA.
The Auslan K–10 Syllabus is based on evidence summarised in the bibliography published by NESA.
- Will your school choose to implement Auslan?
- What actions will your school take to source a suitable teacher?
- What school practices and systems are in place to support teacher professional learning?
- How are these evaluated to maximise support for teachers?
- How has the school engaged with departmental resources and support for curriculum implementation, for example, Curriculum Reform Communities, curriculum resources, professional learning, and DEL network initiatives?
- Has the school engaged with the Deaf community for support?
Languages curriculum teams and web page
- Languages curriculum page
- For K–6 support, email primlang@det.nsw.edu.au
- Join the Primary Languages Networks
- For 7–12 support, email LanguagesNSW@det.nsw.edu.au
- Join the Languages statewide staffroom (staff only)