Curriculum describes the core knowledge, understanding, skills and capabilities students should learn as they progress through school.
Teachers use curriculum to:
- plan student learning
- monitor and assess student progress
- report student progress to parents
- support student wellbeing.
Reception to year 10
The Australian Curriculum is taught in government schools for reception to year 10 subjects. The curriculum learning areas are:
- English
- mathematics
- science
- humanities and social sciences - history, geography, economics and business, civics and citizenship
- the arts - dance, drama, music, media arts, visual arts
- technologies - design and technologies, digital technologies
- health and physical education
- languages.
Years 10 to 12
Years 10 to 12 students study towards the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE). Students can choose to incorporate SACE studies with:
- Tailored Learning
- vocational education and training (VET) at their school
- VET at a Technical College.
SACE
Students working towards SACE study:
SACE provides pathways to work and further education with some subjects counting towards higher qualifications offered through:
- vocational education
- university - see planning beyond SACE.
Tailored Learning
Tailored Learning is a Department for Education strategy to assist schools to support young people who have disengaged from school or who have poor attendance at school and may be experiencing:
- anxiety and depression
- unstable accommodation
- family complexities
- pregnancy, parenting or young carers.
Tailored Learning supports young people through a wrap around approach to address their personal barriers. The aim of Tailored Learning support is for the student to reengage with learning in a location that best suits their needs.
Learning locations can vary and may include a dedicated facility at school, an offsite school managed site, a community site, TAFESA or other registered training organisations (RTOs) or online.
Tailored Learning replaced Flexible Learning Options (FLO) in 2024.
Vocational education and training for school students
While students are still at school completing their SACE, they can begin studying for their careers through a flexible industry pathway.
Connecting students with industry
Flexible industry pathways are VET courses that lead to real jobs in key growth industries in South Australia.
Pathways have been developed together with industry so that students can gain the skills, knowledge, and experience valued by employers. This helps ensure students can transition more easily from study to employment.
Choosing a VET pathway
Flexible industry pathways lead to a wide range of careers, from health, agriculture, and cyber security, to construction, mining and space. You can even study VET to support you to start your own business.
Participating in VET
Students can undertake a pathway through either:
- on-the-job training (a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship)
- off-the-job training (institutional delivery).
For students still deciding whether VET is right for them, or who would like to build their employability skills, there are options outside of a flexible industry pathway called stackable VET.
Stackable VET courses provide an introduction to VET, pre-vocational qualifications to help build literacy and numeracy skills relevant to the workplace, and short courses to help students to develop skills in a particular work area.
For more information, visit Department for Education’s pathways to further education and employment.
Technical Colleges
Technical Colleges support students in years 10 to 12 to complete their SACE while undertaking vocational education and training (VET) in specialist facilities.
Who can apply
All high school students can apply for a Technical College. This includes public or private school students. Programs are designed for students in years 10 to 12.
You can also apply to a Technical College even if you're not a local. School zones don't apply to Technical Colleges.
More information
For more information see the Technical Colleges website.
