Fresh syllabus introduced to Hunter primary schools to shift results

Syllabuses for Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PHDPE), Creative Arts, Human Society and its Environment (HSIE) and Science and Technology were released by the state government to teachers on Wednesday, July 24, in a move to combat sliding results.

Updated maths and English syllabuses are already in classrooms including in the Hunter, where content is being delivered through a new method of teaching.

The revamped curriculum places greater focus on essential knowledge and provides more clarity for teachers on what all students need to learn, with more detailed and specific content.

Education Minister Prue Car said the updated curriculum would reshape education in the state over the coming decades.

"For the first time, primary school teachers have a set of syllabuses that make sense together and will ensure students have a strong foundation upon which to build their knowledge," she said.

A new science and technology syllabus will involve more hands-on learning, giving students an understanding of how the human body works, while also exploring fields such as space and climate systems.

History and geography will fall under human society and its environment, exploring interconnected themes on both topics.

It will include compulsory civics and citizenship content, including on voting in a democracy, as well as a strengthened focus on teaching children how to read a map.

Balancing screen time with physical activity will be part of an updated personal development, health and physical education syllabus, which also provides explicit support for students with physical disability for the first time.

Age-appropriate lessons on respectful relationships and consent will also be part of the syllabus.

The creative arts syllabus covering dance, drama, music and visual arts features clearer guidelines for how much time should be spent on each.

Teachers will have two years to familiarise themselves with the updated syllabuses before their mandatory rollout in all NSW schools in 2027, but they can be implemented before then if schools choose.

"In order to successfully implement the range of new syllabuses, teachers must be provided the time and quality professional development they need," NSW Teachers Federation senior vice president Natasha Watt said.

NSW Education Standards Authority chief executive Paul Martin said the new syllabuses would provide greater clarity to teachers.

"They are sequenced, coherent, knowledge-rich, and infer a more explicit teaching practice," he said.

The overall performance of Australian schools has steadily declined compared to other nations since the early 2000s, although the NSW system generally delivers results above the national average.

- with AAP