New changes to NSW primary school curriculum revealed

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The New South Wales government is unveiling a new primary school curriculum for four subjects – which the Education Minister has described as the biggest shake-up in over thirty years.

Transcript

00:00In two years' time, primary school teachers will follow a curriculum that's been called

00:05evidence-based, with a focus on knowledge rather than skill.

00:10This curriculum, released by the NSW Government today, includes a shake-up to HSIE, Human

00:15Society and its Environment, PDHPE or Health, Geography and Creative Arts subjects.

00:22HSIE will replace the separate subjects of History and Geography and will include lessons

00:27about democracy.

00:28There'll also be deep dives into Indigenous Australian history, up to Federation.

00:33Creative Arts will now encompass dance, drama, music and visual arts, and will tell teachers

00:39how much time they should spend on it, which wasn't previously detailed.

00:44In Science, the updated syllabus will for the first time touch on the systems of the

00:48human body.

00:49But most notably, in PDHPE, there'll be age-appropriate lessons on relationships and consent.

00:56These can range from discussions on sharing toys, to what kind of physical contact is

01:00okay for a young student.

01:02Education Minister Prue Carr said it's vital that these conversations begin as early as

01:07possible.

01:08In kindergarten, that might be about permission to touch something that belongs to someone

01:15else.

01:16It might be sharing your toys in a game.

01:20Up to Year 6 and that transition to Year 7, when it is about respectful relationships.

01:26These revamped syllabuses come six years after the then Education Minister Rob Stokes announced

01:33a review into the Kinder to Year 12 curriculums.

01:36Geoff Masters from the Australian Council of Education Research led the review with

01:41the hope of ending a decades-long slump in international test results.

01:47The review used feedback from teachers and advisory bodies who often called the previous

01:51curriculum crowded and ambiguous.

01:54We're excited about the increased engagement that we look forward to as the curriculum

01:59reform not only offers teachers such clarity around what to teach, but also offering them

02:06pedagogical offerings to ensure that explicit teaching is at the forefront, and that we

02:12are also engaging in enriched learning for our students with strong conceptual learning.

02:18Teachers have been allowed up to two years to familiarise themselves with the new material

02:22before it is officially implemented in 2027, but the government says schools can choose

02:28to implement it earlier if they choose.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended