The staff at Karonga School base their curriculum and programming on the NSW Board of Studies syllabus documents, life skills documents, and the NSW Quality Teaching Framework. The staff offer a broad and enriched curriculum that provides access to a range of learning experiences that are both engaging and relevant to our students across the school.
Planning the Curriculum
When planning the curriculum for the diversity of needs and abilities of our students, we consider the following factors as essential. The curriculum should:
- Provide meaningful access to the KLAs through appropriate adaptations and supports.
- Be relevant to the individual needs and life of the student.
- Prepare students for life-long learning and experiences.
- Encourage maximum participation and independence.
- Give students shared ownership and control over their learning.
- Provide experiences appropriate to the chronological age of the child.
- Be developed using the shared knowledge and understanding of students, parents/carers, teachers, paraprofessionals, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Be implemented using a variety of strategies and resources and across a range of environments.
- Acknowledge our student's potential and as such hold high expectations of them and the staff facilitating these experiences.
To ensure that our curriculum caters appropriately and effectively for our students, and that its development is based on strong home school relationships, we collaboratively develop personalised learning plans (PLPs) for our students. These plans are created in partnership with parents/carers where priority goals for the student are set, planned for, implemented, assessed, and reviewed.
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is responsible for the curriculum, Kindergarten to Year 12, for all NSW schools.
For the primary years, NESA develops syllabuses for all subjects in six key learning areas:
- creative arts
- English
- human society and its environment (HSIE)
- mathematics
- personal development, health and physical education (PDHPE)
- science and technology.
Some primary schools may also offer languages.
NSW schools also offer special religious education and special education in ethics via approved providers, where available.
For the high school years, NESA develops syllabuses for all subjects in eight key learning areas:
- creative arts
- English
- human society and its environment (HSIE)
- languages
- mathematics
- personal development, health and physical education (PDHPE)
- science
- technological and applied studies (TAS).
Like all NSW schools, we have developed teaching and learning programs to suit our local context and the needs of our students.
To learn more about curriculum in NSW, visit:
Stages of learning
There are 6 stages of learning from Kindergarten to Year 12. Primary school covers Early Stage 1, or Kindergarten, to the end of Stage 3. High school covers Stage 4 to 6.
- Stage 1 includes Kindergarten to Year 2 (Kindergarten is referred to as Early Stage 1).
- Stage 2 includes Years 3 and 4.
- Stage 3 includes Years 5 and 6.
- Stage 4 includes Years 7 and 8.
- Stage 5 includes Years 9 and 10.
- Stage 6 includes Years 11 and 12.
