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Parents' Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses

Can I provide feedback?
The Board of Studies is interested in your feedback on this Guide.
Online survey for parents and teachers.
Please email your comments to information@bos.nsw.edu.au or fax to (02) 9367 8035.

Introduction

As the parent of a primary school student you will want to know what your child is learning so you can help them along at home. You and your child’s teachers will be the most important influence on your son or daughter’s education. This Guide is provided to help you follow your child’s early learning and to help you talk with teachers about day-to-day classroom activities and your child’s progress.

What will my child learn at school?

The Board of Studies NSW sets the learning requirements for each stage of primary school. The four stages are:

The Board’s syllabuses state what must be taught in these six key learning areas:

In this Guide you will find some examples of the kinds of things your child can learn in each year of primary school.

The examples are based on the Board’s Foundation Statements, which your child’s teacher will use to prepare classroom activities and report on progress. A number of teachers, parents, principals and Board curriculum experts have contributed to this Guide and many common class activities are included here. However, your child’s school may offer different activities and in a different order.

There are many ways for teachers to organise lessons effectively and individual lessons may cover topics from more than one subject. See here for more information on integrated units.

Talk to your child’s teacher about what they expect to cover in class and how you can help your child at home.

How much time will be spent on each subject?

The Board’s syllabus requirements can be taught in 80 percent of a typical 9 am to 3 pm five-day school week. The remaining 20 percent of the school week is left free for additional activities at the school’s discretion. For example, many schools use this time for languages, additional school sport, concert rehearsals, religious education and special projects.

English and Mathematics make up about 50 percent of the school week – this is equivalent to at least 12 hours each week. The other subjects are spread across the remaining time (see pie chart below). The 6–10% of time noted below represents between 1.5 and 2.5 hours per week.

The use of computers is included in every stage of every subject.

Having a range of percentages allows schools to program more time for English in the earlier years.

There are many different ways for teachers to organise lessons effectively. Talk to your child’s teacher about what they expect to cover in class and how you can help your child at home.

What is an ‘integrated unit’ of work?

Your child’s teacher may refer to ‘integrated units’ as part of their class program.

‘Integration’ means that material from more than one syllabus is being taught in a single unit of work. For example, designing, making, writing and illustrating a short book of stories could involve parts of the English syllabus, the Science and Technology syllabus and the Creative Arts syllabus.

Teachers sometimes combine syllabus areas around a single theme – such as Antarctica, Democracy or Explorers – as it allows students to learn about the topic in a variety of ways. Teachers have found this approach can deepen students’ understanding and enjoyment of what they are learning.

Integration is not undertaken in a classroom at all times during the day. Teachers plan meaningful links across the syllabuses to meet the learning needs of their students.

EXAMPLE – Culture and Environment in Bali is an integrated unit

Bali is often taught as part of an integrated unit in years 5 or 6 (Stage 3). The HSIE content of ‘examining how cultures change through interactions with other cultures and their environment’ is often the starting point for the class.

Here are some examples:

HSIE: research Balinese culture including traditional dress and costumes, art, beliefs, environment, food, geography, history

Mathematics: select appropriate technology to gather data, measure, graph using scale, 2D and 3D shapes

Science and Technology: investigate environmental, cultural and safety factors to design and make a Balinese village

English: learn how to write reports, summarise information gathered during research about Bali

Creative Arts: design a passport for travel, design a mask or puppet, listen to traditional Balinese music and a Gamelan orchestra, learn about traditional dance

PDHPE: develop team skills, problem solving in design and making, learn traditional games of Balinese children and compare them to Australian games and activities, host a ‘Balinese banquet’

Model Balinese village

The Assessment Resource Centre (ARC)

The Assessment Resource Centre (or ARC) helps teachers to assess and report student achievement across Kindergarten to Year 12. The ARC has been developed by the Board of Studies for teachers to use when grading students, although parents and students will also find it useful.

Work samples

The ARC website provides samples of student work that have been assessed against the common grade scale. This can help you to see what is expected at the end of each stage for each learning area.

These work samples are used by teachers across NSW so there can be a consistent assessment of student achievement. This means that the grading will be the same for student work produced in any school in NSW.

To see the ARC website, go to http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/

 

Some questions answered

How do I find out what my child should learn each year?

Your child’s teacher is the best person to talk to about each year’s program for your son or daughter’s class.

In English and Mathematics your child will learn specific topics each year. In these two subjects there are certain ‘building blocks’ that must be learned before your child moves to the next level of understanding. The other subjects are more flexible and topics can be taught at any point within the two-year stage.

For more information, you can read the Board’s Foundation Statements or the full syllabus for each subject. Click here for some useful websites.

How will my child’s achievements be graded?

The Board of Studies provides a ‘common grade scale’ as a guide for teachers to prepare student reports. You can see the grade scale and graded samples of student work here: http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au

The A to E (or equivalent) grading scale lets teachers report student achievement according to clear and consistent standards. Teachers make professional judgements as to which grade best matches the standard their students have achieved.

In summary: A is the grade for extensive knowledge and understanding, B is for thorough, C is for sound, D is for basic and E is for elementary.

Where can I get more information?

Your child’s teacher can help with more information. You can also find the Board of Studies’ syllabus documents, the Board’s Foundation Statements, and additional resources which teachers use at http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au and http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au

The Board of Studies provides a range of resources for parents of children from Kindergarten to Year 6. Please visit eBOS Shop Online at the Board of Studies website or call the Customer Services Unit on (02) 9367 8178 for more information.

 

Community languages

The Guide is available in a number of community languages. Please go to www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/parents and follow the link.

Some words and phrases explained

Foundation Statements: The Board of Studies’ Foundation Statements help
primary teachers summarise what must be taught in each syllabus. You can read the
Statements for each primary subject on the Board’s website.

Key Learning Areas or ‘KLAs’: These are the mandatory subject areas taught in all NSW schools. There are six KLAs in primary school and eight KLAs in secondary school.

In secondary school, Science and Technology become separate subject areas: Science is one subject area; Technology and Applied Studies is another. Languages Other Than English (LOTE) is also introduced as a mandatory subject area.

You can find out more about the KLAs on the Board’s website.

Syllabus: A syllabus is a detailed description of each of the subjects that teachers should cover at each stage of schooling. ‘Syllabus’ and ‘curriculum’ are often used to describe the same thing, although curriculum can also be a more general term to describe everything taught in schools.

What is the Board of Studies?

The Board of Studies NSW was established in 1990 to serve government and non-government schools in the development of school education from Kindergarten to Year 12. The Board develops quality curriculum for all schools, awards the School Certificate and the Higher School Certificate and registers and accredits non-government schools.

Here are some useful websites

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