1.   Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this policy is to outline the principles which dictate Christ Church Grammar School’s (the School’s) practices and procedures regarding curriculum related issues.

All teachers, education assistants, psychologists and other health professionals, enrolled students and their parents are bound by the provisions of this policy.

The policy must be read in conjunction with the accompanying procedures.

2.   Definitions

ATAR  –  The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is the primary criterion for domestic student entry into undergraduate courses in Australian public universities.  It allocates gives each student a rank between 0 and 99.95 relative to other Year 12 students in their state.

Documented Plan (DP)  –  A DP is a document which outlines specific academic, behavioural and socio emotional objectives that a student will work towards achieving.  It is created by Peter Moyes Centre teachers in collaboration with the parents and external specialists of a student.

Individual Plan (IP)  –  An IP is a document which outlines specific academic objectives that a student will be working towards achieving in a specific subject area (in place of the WA Curriculum).

Learning Profile (LP)  –  An LP is a document which outlines the effect of a disability on an individual’s ability to learn and sets out teaching strategies, classroom accommodations and special provisions to support the student in their learning.

SCSA  –  The School Curriculum and Standards Authority is responsible for Kindergarten to Year 12 curriculum, assessment, standards and reporting for all Western Australian schools.

Extension  –  Extension activities build upon the core curriculum by extending students’ learning beyond what is typically covered in the classroom.  Extension tasks encourage students to explore concepts at a deeper level, making connections between different areas of knowledge.

Western Australian Curriculum  –  The Pre-primary to Year 10 Western Australian curriculum provides a coherent and comprehensive set of prescribed content and achievement standards which schools use to plan student learning programs, assess student progress and report to parents.

The Western Australian curriculum encompasses the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) Australian curriculum English, Mathematics and Science.  In addition, year level syllabuses for Humanities and Social Sciences, Health and Physical Education, Technologies, the Arts and Languages remain broadly consistent with the Australian curriculum but have been contextualised to make them more suitable for Western Australian students and teachers.

3.   Policy Principles 

3.1    The School uses the Western Australian Curriculum’s prescribed content and achievement standards to plan student learning programs, assess student progress and report to parents. The West Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline states:

“In accordance with the School Curriculum and Standards Authority Act, 1997, The Western Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline sets out the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes that students are expected to acquire and guidelines for the assessment of student achievement.

The Principles of Teaching, Learning and Assessment focus on the provision of a school and class environment that is intellectually, socially and physically supportive of learning. This education must be inclusive of students’ individual strengths and needs. Differences in terms of characteristics such as ethnicity, language (linguistic background), culture, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation or geographic location should not be allowed to detract from the student’s access to the high-quality education that is their right.

Curriculum adjustments may include:

• Drawing from learning area content at different levels along the Foundation to Year 10 sequence to adjust age-equivalent content (fox example some Year 6 students will be able to plan and conduct a specific investigation making decisions about variables, while other may take part in the same investigation but at a less complex level by exploring and answering questions)
• Drawing from and emphasising specific aspects of one or more of the general capabilities to adjust the learning focus in a particular learning area (for example, teaching targeted literacy or social skills through a science lesson) – although there is greater focus in this instance on the general capabilities, integrity of the learning area must be retained
• Drawing from and emphasising specific aspects of one or more of the cross-curriculum priorities to adjust the learning focus of a particular learning area (for example, providing opportunities to examine historical perspectives from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander viewpoint)”

3.2   The School is guided by the above principles, and the information in the attached Procedures and Processes provides for the diversity of students enrolled.

3.3   The School recognises that the establishment of an emotionally secure foundation lays the foundation for all future learning. A high priority is therefore placed on the partnership between home and school, supporting strong reciprocal relationships which are essential to the academic, social and emotional wellbeing of students.

4.   Related Policies and Resources

School Curriculum and Standards Authority Act 1997
Curriculum Evaluation Policy
Assessment and Reporting Policy
Students with Disability Policy
Gifted and Talented Students Policy
Curriculum – Processes and Procedures