NSW Primary Curriculum Foundation Statements
Foundation Statements
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NSW Primary Curriculum Foundation Statements are a response to the recommendations of the Eltis evaluation and the public consultation that followed. Foundation Statements are short, clear descriptions of the knowledge and skills that each student should develop at each stage of primary school. They answer the question 'What must be taught in all schools?'. |
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NSW Primary Curriculum Foundation Statements - Translations
The Foundation Statements below are translated into community languages. Published May 2006
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Guidelines for proportion of time attributed to each Key Learning Area
Teachers have flexibility to use these guidelines in accordance with the policies of their school system or authority.
- 6%-10% is approximately 1.5 to 2.5 hours in a typical teaching week.
- The 'additional activities' taking up to 20% of time may include activities such as scripture, school sport or debating. This time may also be used to expand on work being done with the core curriculum.
| Key Learning Area | Proportion of Time |
|---|---|
| English | 25% - 35% |
| Mathematics | 20% |
| Science and Technology | 6 % - 10% |
| PDHPE | 6 % - 10% |
| HSIE | 6 % - 10% |
| Creative and Practical Arts | 6 % - 10% |
| Additional activities | up to 20% |
Foundation Statements replace the Stage Statements in syllabuses.
In November 2003 the Minister for Education and Training accepted the twenty-nine recommendations from the Report on the Evaluation of Outcomes Assessment and Reporting in NSW Government Schools by Professor Ken Eltis and Associate Professor Stephen Crump.
The Board of Studies, working with teachers from across the state and all education sectors, developed a consultation paper, Defining Mandatory Outcomes in the K-6 Curriculum. There was concern expressed about the term ‘mandatory’. Most teachers felt that merely reducing the number of outcomes is not sufficient to relieve the assessing, recording and reporting workload. As a result, rather than identify particular outcomes as mandatory the Board decided to develop a ‘set of prescriptions for each stage’. The existing syllabus stage statements were seen as a good basis for this work.
In consultation with teachers, professional associations, school systems and authorities the Board has completed its work in response to the recommendations of the Eltis evaluation and the findings of the consultation around mandatory outcomes.
Foundation Statements are the result of this work. They have been written to help teachers manage the curriculum more effectively by describing clearly the statewide common curriculum requirements and prioritising what needs to be taught in all primary schools.
The six key learning areas (KLAs) and the Board’s syllabuses remain at the core of planning and programming.