Talking about curriculum
Supporting school leaders by providing advice and information to parents and or carers about the curriculum and curriculum reform.
Engaging with parents, carers and the community supports learning in schools, and can lead to improved outcomes for students. Schools and teachers can facilitate this by developing partnerships to connect children’s learning at home, at school and in the community.
Providing advice to parents and carers about the curriculum at the beginning of the year enables them to support their child’s learning at home. School leaders may choose to communicate the curriculum on a termly basis to inform parents and carers about what is planned to be taught in the term ahead. However, a decision may be made to communicate this on a semester or yearly basis.
Sample approach – Curriculum
Sample advice and information which can be circulated to parents and carers to inform them of the curriculum being taught in your school. This can be adapted to suit your school’s context.
Each year, the students at [insert name of school] will be taught subjects from syllabuses developed by the NSW Education Standards Authority. NSW syllabuses provide an outline of the requirements for teaching and learning in various subjects for stages of students’ learning. They also contain the outcomes and content which are intended to be inclusive of the learning needs of all students, including:
Aboriginal students
students with disability
high potential and gifted education
students learning English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D).
Our teaching and learning programs are designed with the needs of your child at the core. Programs are adapted to cater for the needs of each student in the class. Our teachers use a range of high-quality resources to deliver the teaching and learning. The planned curriculum for this [term/ semester/ year] can be accessed via [platform insert or link].
At [insert school name], we value the important role our parents and carers have in the educational journey of our students. Please contact the school should you have any questions or would like to discuss your child’s specific learning needs.
Sample approach – Curriculum reform
Sample advice and information which can be circulated to parents and carers to inform them about curriculum reform and what is being taught in your school. This can be adapted to suit your school’s context.
The NSW education system is reforming the curriculum which will be taught in all classrooms from Kindergarten to Year 12. The new curriculum, as a result of the NSW Curriculum Reform, will give students more time to focus on key learning areas so that they can acquire a deeper understanding of central concepts. It will ensure students develop strong foundations for learning, life and work in a complex and fast-changing world.
This reform has been informed by extensive consultation with teachers, parents and education experts, and is underpinned by extensive research. Curriculum reform involves change that spans many aspects of schooling, including teaching, learning, assessment and reporting to parents. New syllabuses provide schools with a unique opportunity to re-focus and place curriculum at the heart of school planning. Key curriculum changes include:
- building strong foundations for future learning with new English and mathematics syllabuses for Kindergarten to Year 2
- an entirely new curriculum from 2022 with new syllabuses focused on what is essential to know and do in early and middle years of schooling, and key learning areas in the senior years
- providing more time for teaching by reducing the hours teachers spend on extra-curricular topics and issues and compliance requirements
- strengthening post- school pathways with new learning areas for Years 11 and 12 that clearly link learning to future employment and study options.
The new curriculum will ensure every student develops strong foundations for learning, life and work. The reforms are vital for the young people in our schools today, and for those who will arrive in the years to come. More information can be found on the NSW Department of Education and NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) websites.