The curriculum planning webpages offer school leadership a range of resources to support planning and documenting a comprehensive whole-school curriculum.
In Victoria the school curriculum is set out in the Victorian Curriculum F–10, which defines the common and core set of knowledge and skills that are required both for lifelong learning and active and informed citizenship.
The teaching and learning program is the school-based plan for delivering this common set of knowledge and skills in ways that best utilise local resources, expertise and contexts. Schools have flexibility in the design of their teaching and learning program. Flexibility enables schools to develop particular specialisations, areas of expertise and innovation, while ensuring the mandated curriculum is delivered.
The VCAA has published
curriculum planning and reporting guidelines to provide advice for Victorian schools on the effective use of the curriculum in, among other things, developing whole-school teaching and learning plans.
The key points set out in the guidelines are listed below:
- Defined curriculum content is the basis for student learning.
- Curriculum planning will be based on two-year bands of schooling rather than each year level.
- Schools should develop and publish a whole-school curriculum plan that documents their teaching and learning program.
- Schools must report student learning against the achievement standards in the curriculum.
- Schools will be able to report student learning to students and parents in formats that best suit local school communities rather than through a single centrally prescribed format.
Whole-school curriculum planning plays a key role in enabling schools to deliver the curriculum for all students and reflects the decisions, resources and priorities of the school.
Whole-school curriculum planning involves four interrelated layers of planning:
-
By school – a high-level summary of the coverage of all the curriculum areas, reflecting the school’s goals, vision and any particular areas of specialisation or innovation
-
By curriculum area – plans that sequence key knowledge and skills across the years of schooling to support a progression of learning
-
By year level – a coherent program from a student perspective that enables effective connections across curriculum areas
-
By unit/lessons – plans that specify Victorian Curriculum F–10 content descriptions and achievement standards, activities and resources to ensure students of all achievement levels are able to progress
These resources use the Victorian Curriculum F–10 terminology, so the term 'curriculum area' refers to the learning areas and capabilities.
Additional information to assist schools with their curriculum planning is available on the hints and tips and resources webpages.
Acknowledgements
The VCAA would like to acknowledge the many schools that have been involved in supporting the development of these curriculum planning materials.
In partnership with the Department of Education and Training (DET), the Catholic Education Commission Victoria (CECV) and Independent Schools Victoria, we would like to thank the following schools for their generous assistance and contribution in the construction of these resources:
- Alphington Primary School
- Apollo Parkways Primary School
- Ashwood High School
- Brunswick Secondary College
- Catholic Regional College, Caroline Springs
- Cranbourne East Primary School
- De La Salle College
- Elisabeth Murdoch College
- Eltham North Primary School
- Emmanuel College, Altona
- Marcellin College
- Melba College
- Monmia Primary School
- Mt Clear College
- Padua College, Mornington
- Patterson River Secondary College
- Penola Catholic College
- Rosehill Secondary College
- Sacred Heart Girls’ College, Oakleigh
- Sacred Heart Primary School, Croydon
- Serpell Primary School
- St Andrew’s Primary School, Clayton
- St Anne’s Primary School, Sunbury
- St Francis of Assisi Primary School, Mill Park
- St George Preca Primary School
- St Joseph’s College, Ferntree Gully
- St Leonard’s Primary School, Glen Waverley
- St Monica's College, Epping
- Stella Maris Catholic Primary School
- University High School
- Wellington Secondary College
- Williamstown High School
- Yarra Primary School