The Australian Government has significantly changed the primary school curriculum to raise Australian learning outcomes to meet higher international standards. Last year we were using version 8.4 of the Australian curriculum. We have now been issued version 9, and the changes will be steadily rolled out between 2023-2026.

To begin our efforts in adopting the changes, we are following the recommendations of QCAA (Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority) and Cairns Catholic Education.  This year, we have begun the roll out of Mathematics, followed by English in 2024. The remaining learning areas will be rolled out over the next 3 years.

During term one, the teaching staff had the enormous task of learning the new curriculum and understanding how to implement the new changes. This included developing new units of work and pre-testing students in Mathematics. They have been working tirelessly to do this despite how such changes have increased their workload.

The impact for families is that student attainment has not changed, but the curriculum targets have, and your child’s overall mathematics achievement level in 2023 may be lower than in 2022.

Such change can be challenging for families and staff. As we adjust, we invite you to work proactively with your child’s teacher to explore your child's achievement levels. 

Please be assured that the staff at St. Clare’s are working hard to ensure the most effective rollout possible, with student needs at the forefront of our plans.