Western Australian Curriculum
Western Australian Curriculum
The Western Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline lays out the Kindergarten to Year 10 curriculum for all children in Western Australia.
It provides teachers and supporting staff with information to help plan and assess learning programs, and report those outcomes.
Learning areas the Western Australian Curriculum covers
There are 8 learning areas:
- English
- mathematics
- science
- humanities and social sciences (including history, geography, civics and citizenship and economics and business)
- the arts
- languages
- health and physical education
- technologies.
These learning areas remain broadly consistent with the Australian curriculum but have been modified to suit Western Australian teachers and the children they teach.
You can find out about the specific content for each learning area and each year level from Pre-primary to Year 10 at School Curriculum and Standards Authority.
Timeline for the implementation of each learning area
| Year | Learning area |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Languages in Years 3, with an additional year group each year until 2023 when all students in Years 3 to 8 will be learning a language. |
Western Australian Certificate of Education
The Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) is the certificate that all young people in Western Australia receive after they successfully complete secondary school.
The WACE requires each person to demonstrate a breadth and depth of study, and to reach a specified achievement standard, including a literacy and numeracy. Young people typically complete their WACE in their final two years of secondary school, however there is no specified time limit for completion. Study towards achievement of the WACE can be undertaken over a lifetime.
Reporting requirements for your child
The School Curriculum and Standards Authority has established the reporting requirements for all schools in Western Australia.
Every public school must have an assessment and reporting plan which tells you how it reports your child's progress to you.
Your child's teacher should also keep you informed of their progress during the school year, including their learning, depth of understanding and skills.
For further information you can contact your local school at any time.
The role of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority
The School Curriculum and Standards Authority is an independent statutory authority that regulates school curriculum and assessment for all Western Australian children from Kindergarten to Year 12.
It is responsible for:
- setting standards of achievement, and assessment and certification, for your children
- developing an outline of curriculum and assessment that sets out the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes your children are expected to acquire
- developing guidelines for the assessment of achievement
- developing and accrediting courses for schools by setting and recording each person’s achievement against standards, and reporting on those standards.
If you would like to know more about the Western Australian curriculum, talk with your local school or visit School Curriculum and Standards Authority.