Eligibility

Assess student eligibility

Some students with intellectual disability, or an imputed intellectual disability, may find Years 7–12 courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content are the most appropriate options to follow for the RoSA or HSC.

Courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content are not an appropriate curriculum option for students:

• who do not have an intellectual disability or an imputed intellectual disability
• experiencing significant unexpected and/or chronic health issues
• performing below their cohort
• who could access outcomes and content with appropriate adjustments and support
• with emotional and/or behavioural needs.

All decisions about curriculum options for students with disability should be made through collaborative curriculum planning.

Consider curriculum options

Before deciding that a student with intellectual disability should access Life Skills outcomes and content, consider other ways of supporting the student to access syllabus outcomes for their stage. This may include a range of adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment activities. Or you may need to consider whether selected and/or earlier stage outcomes in Stage 4–5 best meet the student’s needs. If the adjustments do not provide the student with sufficient access to some or all outcomes in Stages 4–6, or accessing prior stage outcomes in Stage 4–5 does not best address the student’s needs, a decision to access Life Skills outcomes and content in one or more courses might be appropriate.

Making the decision to study Life Skills

The decision for a student to access Life Skills outcomes and content can be made at any time during Years 7–12 when appropriate. As with all decisions about curriculum options for students with disability, it should be made through collaborative curriculum planning.

Depending on their needs, eligible students can study:

• a single Life Skills course
• multiple Life Skills courses.

A student studying a course based on Life Skills outcomes and content in Years 7–10 cannot return to studying stage or earlier stage outcomes and content in that same course once a decision to study Life Skills is made. The student must continue studying Life Skills outcomes and content for that course. This applies to their current and later stages of schooling. A student who has studied Life Skills outcomes and content in a Stage 5 course and who wishes to continue the study of a corresponding course in Stage 6 can do so only through the study of a Life Skills course.

A student studying any Stage 6 Life Skills course will usually have undertaken one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content in Years 7–10. However, exceptional circumstances may exist where this is not the case. This might include situations where a student with intellectual disability or imputed intellectual disability has:

• attempted outcomes and content in Years 7–10 (including selected and earlier stage outcomes) but experienced significant difficulty in achieving the outcomes
• transferred from interstate or overseas
• experienced a deteriorating condition.

Schools do not have to:

• apply to the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for students to access Life Skills courses
• submit planning documentation to NESA.