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Curriculum priorities and the stages of schooling

Focusing on the essentials

The CSF focuses on essential learning and in so doing creates opportunities for local interests, priorities and needs to be met as schools develop their own individual programs.

Essential learning for each key learning area is defined as the knowledge and skills that students need in order to:

• operate effectively and competently at each stage of development and experience success
• progress to the next level
• develop the capacity to participate effectively and responsibly in society.

In English, Mathematics, Science, LOTE, Health and Physical Education, and Studies of Society and Environment, the curriculum focus and learning outcomes represent the essential learning at each level. In the Arts, essential learning includes both the performing arts and visual arts but choice is provided within these categories. In Technology, Information is essential throughout levels 1-6, and Materials and movement at levels 1-3, while a choice is provided between Systems and Materials at the higher levels. The ESL Companion to the English CSF provides a curriculum and assessment framework for ESL learners.

This approach:

• emphasises the development of a strong foundation in literacy, numeracy and science in the early years, and ensures that sufficient attention can be devoted to these areas
• results in clearer identification of the underpinning knowledge and skills in each key learning area, without which students would not be able to progress to higher levels of achievement
• provides guidance to teachers in designing programs for their students and information to parents about the essential knowledge and skills their children can be expected to learn at the various stages of schooling.