Planning and programming

Information on how to plan and program for teaching Life Skills outcomes and content. Learn what to address in your planning and the requirements for programming

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Planning

Through the collaborative curriculum planning process, schools should:

decide which Life Skills courses the student will be studying and check that any mandatory curriculum or pattern of study requirements are met
program courses according to indicative hour requirements
decide who will teach the Life Skills courses and how the student’s achievement will be monitored and reported
select resources required to help the school meet the needs and goals of the student
decide if any adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment experiences are needed
determine strategies for monitoring the student’s goals and progress
schedule ongoing collaborative planning. This assists the student’s successful transition through school to adult life.

Schools are not required to submit planning documentation to the NSW Education Standards Authority.

Programming

Schools should consider the following when programming for Life Skills courses:

The student must demonstrate achievement in relation to one or more Life Skills outcomes in each course.
Select specific Life Skills outcomes based on the student’s needs, strengths, goals, interests and prior learning.
Select appropriate Life Skills content that aligns with the selected outcomes.
Teaching strategies should be aligned to the Life Skills outcomes and content and appropriate to the age and abilities of the student.
Students can demonstrate achievement in relation to the outcomes independently or with support.
Determine appropriate contexts for the student to demonstrate achievement in relation to the outcomes. For example, school, community, or workplace.
Focus areas within a course are suggestions only. Teachers have the flexibility to select, group and sequence outcomes and content to meet the needs, strengths, goals, interests and prior learning of their students.

Programming and course delivery

Schools may deliver Years 7–10 courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content, and Years 11–12 Life Skills courses in different ways:

integrated with an equivalent general education course
to small groups or individuals
as timetabled classes delivering Life Skills programs
a combination of the above.

Programming should reflect the course delivery. For example, a teacher is delivering the Stage 6 Physical World Science Life Skills course and the Stage 6 Physics course within the same class. The teacher should therefore develop a teaching and learning program that includes outcomes from both courses.

Indicative hours

All courses in Years 7–12, including those based on Life Skills outcomes and content, have indicative hour requirements. When programming Life Skills courses, schools must meet these indicative hour requirements. This ensures that the course can be credentialled on the RoSA or HSC. The indicative hour requirements for Life Skills courses are:

the same as the mandatory curriculum requirements in Years 7–10
120 hours in each of Year 11 and Year 12 for 2-unit courses in Stage 6
60 hours in each of Year 11 and Year 12 for 1-unit courses in Stage 6.

In some cases, it may be necessary to vary the time allocated by increasing the number of hours of study for a course. When considering whether an increase in time is necessary, schools must ensure they meet the indicative hour requirements for each course.