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.
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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.