All schools including Sydney Catholic Schools follow the same Kindergarten to Year 12 curriculum, with our Catholic values underpinning everything that we do.
With a focus on the development of the whole person, courses offered at the school cover the NESA syllabus requirements – developing the core skills of literacy and numeracy – and our Archdiocesan Religious Education curriculum.
Our teachers extend and challenge students to be the best they can be, while recognising that every student is unique and learns differently.
Kindergarten – Year 6
Religious Education is at the heart of Catholic education. It informs all aspects of school life and contributes to the mission of the Catholic Church in announcing the good news of Jesus Christ.
All students are expected to participate in the religious life of the school. This includes their participation in Religious Education classes, their study of the Archdiocesan curriculum and their use of the To Know, Worship and Love textbooks and resources.
We believe that by Religious Education curriculum will lead children through the significant stages in faith development from Kindergarten to Year 6. Our planning and programming reflects the Emmaus catechetical approach.
Encouragement to respond positively to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ is reflected in all aspects of school life, where a spirit of faith, hope and love will ‘Prepare the Way’ for a committed life in the Catholic community of believers.
Our dedicated Religious Education staff, who lead the Religious Education curriculum within the classroom, provide space within the curriculum to learn about the Christian faith and to have the opportunity to “Seek Wisdom in Christ”.
In English, in the early years, students build strong foundational literacy skills to speak, listen, view, read and write with increasing fluency and accuracy. As they progress through school, they learn that language has the power to shape our understanding of the world and ourselves, continuing to build on the foundational skills developed in the first few years of school. They engage with a wide range of quality literature, including: stories, poetry, plays and multimedia, for enjoyment and to learn about themselves, their community and the world. They learn to appreciate, reflect on, and build knowledge about how language works. They learn to make meaning when reading and viewing texts, and to create texts in ways that are imaginative, creative, interpretative, critical and powerful. The following guides, produced by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), contain more information about the English courses available:
By studying Mathematics, students develop essential numeracy knowledge and skills and develop an understanding of concepts in Number and Algebra, Measurement and Space, Statistics and Probability. Students develop understanding of and fluency in Mathematics through exploring and connecting mathematical concepts, choosing and applying mathematical techniques to solve problems to communicate their thinking, and reasoning both coherently and clearly. The following guides, produced by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), contain more information about the Mathematics courses available in Primary:
The Science syllabus covers Science and Technology for Kindergarten to Year 6 students.
Science and Technology ‘fosters in students a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. Students are encouraged to embrace new concepts and to learn through trialling, testing and refining ideas. They are supported to participate responsibly in developing innovative ideas and solutions in response to questions and opportunities relevant to them and the world around them.’ – NSW Education Standards Authority, Parent Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses.
Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) ‘provides opportunities for students to explore the past and present to develop an understanding of their personal and community identity. They investigate the interactions between people, places and environments that shape their nation and world. They learn to participate in society as informed, responsible and active citizens.’ – NSW Education Standards Authority, Parent Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses.
The focus is on History and Geography in Kindergarten to Year 6.
Creative Arts ‘gives students experiences in the visual arts, music, drama and dance. They have opportunities to explore their creativity in each of these areas. Students learn to appreciate the meanings and values that each art form offers. They perform and express themselves through the visual arts, music, drama and dance.’ – NSW Education Standards Authority, Parent Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses.
‘Through Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) students develop self management, interpersonal and movement skills to help them become empowered, self-confident and socially responsible citizens. The learning experiences in PDHPE provide students with a foundation to actively contribute to, and advocate for the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and others in the community and beyond school. Students are provided with opportunities to participate in physical activity to develop movement skills and recognise the impact of physical activity on health and wellbeing.’ – NSW Education Standards Authority, Parent Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses.
Year 7 – Year 12
Religious Education is at the heart of Catholic education. It informs all aspects of school life and contributes to the mission of the Catholic Church in announcing the good news of Jesus Christ.
All students are expected to participate in the religious life of the school. This includes their participation in Religious Education classes, their study of the Archdiocesan curriculum and their use of the To Know, Worship and Love textbooks and resources.
Encouragement to respond positively to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ is reflected in all aspects of school life, where a spirit of faith, hope and love will ‘Prepare the Way’ for a committed life in the Catholic community of believers.
Our dedicated Religious Education staff, who lead the Religious Education curriculum within the classroom, provide space within the curriculum to learn about the Christian faith and to have the opportunity to “Seek Wisdom in Christ”.
Years 7-10 In English, students build on the foundational skills developed in K–6 in the areas of: Reading, viewing and listening to texts; Understanding and responding to texts and expressing their ideas and composing texts. They appreciate and use language to make meaning in ways that are imaginative, creative, interpretive, critical and powerful, and continue to learn that language has the power to shape our understanding of the world and ourselves. The following guide, produced by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), contains more information about English in Years 7-10: Years 11-12 English is a mandatory subject for students in Year 11 and 12, building on the premise that the knowledge, understanding and skills acquired in English are central to students’ learning and development in school and beyond. Students have a variety of English courses to choose from in which they develop confidence in their use of language for a variety of purposes as well as continuing to develop and expand their skills in reading, writing and communication. They apply their English knowledge and skills to deepen their understanding of themselves, their community and the world. The following guides, produced by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), containing more information about the different English 11 – 12 courses available:
Years 7-10 By studying Mathematics in Years 7 to 10, your child will learn to appreciate how Mathematics is a relevant part of their everyday lives. They will have the opportunity to develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of mathematical concepts and a fluency with mathematical processes that will help them interpret and solve problems in a variety of contexts. Areas of study will include: Number and Algebra, Measurement and Space and Statistics and Probability. The following guide, produced by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), contains more information about this course: Years 11-12 The Mathematics Stage 6 syllabuses are designed to offer students opportunities to think mathematically. Mathematical thinking is supported through questioning, communicating, reasoning, reflecting and the use of appropriate technology, and is encouraged through providing students with opportunities to generalise, challenge, find connections and to think critically and creatively. Using mathematical thinking, students apply their knowledge and skills to deepen their understanding of the world. The following guides, produced by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), contain more information about the different Mathematics 11 – 12 courses available:
Science and Technology ‘fosters in students a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. Students are encouraged to embrace new concepts and to learn through trialling, testing and refining ideas. They are supported to participate responsibly in developing innovative ideas and solutions in response to questions and opportunities relevant to them and the world around them.’ – NSW Education Standards Authority, Parent Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses.
The board developed syllabus is to be studied substantially throughout each of Years 7–10. Four hundred hours to be completed by the end of Year 10.
Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) ‘provides opportunities for students to explore the past and present to develop an understanding of their personal and community identity. They investigate the interactions between people, places and environments that shape their nation and world. They learn to participate in society as informed, responsible and active citizens.’ – NSW Education Standards Authority, Parent Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses.
The board developed syllabuses are to be studied substantially throughout each of Years 7–10. Four hundred hours to be completed by the end of Year 10, including 100 hours each of History and Geography in each stage.
Creative Arts ‘gives students experiences in the visual arts, music, drama and dance. They have opportunities to explore their creativity in each of these areas. Students learn to appreciate the meanings and values that each art form offers. They perform and express themselves through the visual arts, music, drama and dance.’ – NSW Education Standards Authority, Parent Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses.
‘Through Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) students develop self management, interpersonal and movement skills to help them become empowered, self-confident and socially responsible citizens. The learning experiences in PDHPE provide students with a foundation to actively contribute to, and advocate for the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and others in the community and beyond school. Students are provided with opportunities to participate in physical activity to develop movement skills and recognise the impact of physical activity on health and wellbeing.’ – NSW Education Standards Authority, Parent Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses.
The board developed mandatory 300-hour integrated syllabus in PDHPE is to be studied in each of Years 7–10.
To cater for the variety of interests and abilities of our students, we offer a range of VET courses that enable students to achieve nationally-recognised VET qualifications at certificate levels I, II and III.
VET courses provide students with practical learning that gives them a head start with their career, and many may be counted towards the ATAR and are suitable for students on both academic and vocational pathways.
All courses have dual accreditation with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
For students who are committed to a vocational pathway, they can access one of Sydney Catholic Schools’ four industry-standard trade training/skills centres where they have the opportunity to gain their HSC with a focus on vocational programs and School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBATs).
The many cognitive benefits of learning languages are undeniable. People who speak more than one language have:
- Improved memory, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
- Enhanced concentration
- Ability to multitask
- Better listening skills
Through learning languages, students reflect their own heritage, culture and identity. The rich linguistic and cultural diversity of NSW provides an educational environment where the study of languages is valued as a unique part of the curriculum.
Year 8
Students study mandatory hours in language (Italian or Spanish)
Years 9 – 11
Students have the choice to study Italian
Years 11 – 12
The College offers 4 language courses for the HSC:
- Italian Beginners
- Italian Continuers
- Japanese Beginners
- Spanish Beginners
Our students have also access to study languages through external providers: NSW School of Languages and Saturday School of Community Languages.