IEUA
Independent Education union of Australia
Australian Government Review of
the Australian Curriculum
March 2014
Introduction
1. The Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA) is pleased to have the
opportunity to make a submission to the Australian Government Review of
the Australian Curriculum.
2. The IEUA is the federally registered union that represents workers, including
teachers, principals, and school support staff, in Catholic and nongovernment Independent schools across all the states and territories of
Australia. While the majority of members of the IEUA are teachers, the
membership of the IEUA also consists of workers engaged as teacher aides,
administrative staff, gardeners, cleaners and caterers.
3. Membership of the IEUA is also diverse in respect to the types of workplaces
included in its coverage. These range from very large schools with significant
resources to extremely small rural schools with very limited resources. The
variety of schools represents great diversity. . These include a wide variety of
faith based and non-denominational schools, including, Catholic schools,
Independent schools, Islamic schools, Steiner schools, Lutheran schools,
Montessori schools, and privately run post-secondary providers. The union
currently has a membership of over 75,000.
School Reform Agenda
4. The IEUA supports in principle the Australian Government’s focus on
continual improvement in school education including the provision of an
equitable and excellent education for Australian students.
5. The IEUA has long supported work to achieve greater national consistency
and comparability in curriculum, assessment, reporting and certification and
in other areas of educational policy which contribute to ongoing
improvements in learning outcomes.
6. The IEUA supports educational reform in curriculum that is informed by
research, that ensures educational validity and integrity and very importantly
that supports teacher professional judgement. Review and ongoing
development of the current Australian Curriculum must also be underpinned
by an evidence base.
Curriculum Development
7. The IEUA believes that the fundamental purpose of curriculum development is
to ensure that students receive integrated, coherent learning experiences
that contribute towards their personal and academic learning and
development to meet their needs in a contemporary world.
8. The IEUA supports a systematic and consultative approach to curriculum
development that is based on research and established national strategic
goals. Such an approach should begin with consultation with the profession
and stakeholders to scope the broad curriculum design boundaries and
parameters.
9. Curriculum development then systematically works through to the specific
detail within the particular agreed boundaries and parameters, again in
consultation with the profession, stakeholder groups, parents and
community.
10. It is our view that the development of the Australian Curriculum by ACARA
and the various State and Territory Education Authorities, followed these
principles.
National curriculum
11. The IEUA supports a national curriculum and has participated vigorously in
debate and consultation processes during the development of the Australian
Curriculum over several years, under the auspices of ACARA and further at
State and Territory level.
12. The IEUA supports a national curriculum that provides clear subject content
at year / stage levels, and that clarifies desired student learning outcomes
and achievement standards consistently across the nation, to the benefit of
students, teachers, school administrators, and the community in an
increasingly mobile world.
13. Opportunities and cost benefits relating to the development and delivery of
teacher and student resources and the provision of meaningful professional
development for teachers are an integral part in the development and review
cycle of a national curriculum, if implementation and ongoing success is to be
achieved in schools.
14. In our view, it is vital that investment in the resources and PD undertaken by
States, Territories and ACARA continue and indeed be enhanced. Of particular
commendation by teachers is the online provision of Australian Curriculum
documents and resources.
15. The IEUA supports a national curriculum, which contains flexibility for teachers
to exercise their professional judgment when developing teaching programs to
meet the needs of their particular students, depending on student interest,
location, resources, skills, subject currency, and other relevant circumstances.
16. It is our view that flexibility is provided through the cross curriculum perspectives
of the Australian Curriculum. They provide opportunities for teachers to address
contemporary issues through their teaching and learning programs in a way that
addresses local student needs. We believe that teachers have always flexibly
adapted their programs to address student need and contemporary issues,
whether it is new scientific, technological or mathematic discovery or
social/economic change.
17. There should be no impediment to add to the cross curriculum perspectives from
time to time, as circumstances dictate and as needed to meet student-learning
needs. Nor should there be an impediment to remove an outdated focus as a
result of broad consultative curriculum review.
18. IEUA members, particularly those who have had the opportunity to program and
teach under the new Australian Curriculum have indicated confidence that the
curriculum does provide flexibility to address students’ needs throughout the
different learning stages.
Implementation of the Australian Curriculum
Table 1. Implementation of Australian Curriculum across Australia
QLD
NSW
ACT
VIC
TAS
SA
WA
NT
Completed years of
2
0
3
1 Gov
2
2 (Gov)
1
2
AC implementation
All
All
All
1 Cath
1 (Cath)
All
sectors
sectors
sectors
1 Ind
0 (Ind)
sectors
Year all Phase1
2014
2016
2013
2013
2014
2015
2015
2014
subjects taught
All
All
All
All
All
All sectors
All
All
across all Year
sectors
sectors
sectors
sectors
sectors
sectors
sectors
levels to Y10 using
the AC.
*Gov=State/Territory Government schools; Cath=Catholic Systemic schools; Ind= Independent and
Christian schools
19. Row 1 of the table illustrates that in-school experience of working with the
Australian Curriculum in the classroom varies between States, and varies
between sectors within some states.
20. As of March 2014, the jurisdiction with the greatest classroom and teaching
experience of Phase 1 Australian Curriculum subjects across all sectors is the
ACT.
21. Queensland and the NT have the second longest classroom and teaching
experience of Phase 1 Australian Curriculum subjects across all sectors.
22. Row 2 of the table illustrates that implementation of the Phase 1 subjects
(English, Science, Maths, History) to particular year groups has also varied
between States and Territories.
23. The jurisdiction which commenced teaching all four subjects to all year
groups at the earliest time was the ACT in 2013.
24. The jurisdiction to reach full implementation at the latest time will be NSW in
2016.
25. The IEUA supports the process of implementation to date, particularly the
way in which State/Territory authorities have consulted and decided at the
local level on the timing and implementation of the curriculum. IEUA
Branches have reported positive and constructive consultations with state
curriculum and assessment authorities around implementation timetables,
structures and support.
Curriculum Review
26. Based on the data outlined above, it is our view that a review of the full
implementation of the Australian Curriculum at this time is premature.
27. A targeted focus on ACT schools and their experience of implementing the
Australian Curriculum could offer meaningful information about the success
of implementation, lessons-learned, school and staff resourcing
requirements and efficacy of the curriculum. However, as the Australian
Curriculum is a national framework it would be more useful and more
appropriate to gain an understanding of picture nationally once all
jurisdictions have completed the implementation phase.
28. The IEUA believes that future review of the Australian Curriculum as part of
the curriculum development cycle should examine the amount of content
and time available particularly in primary school years to ensure that the
curriculum is not over-crowded and that there is sufficient time for classroom
teachers to undertake review and remediation where necessary and pursue
areas of interest, particularly where there are local learnings opportunities or
opportunities arising from major events in social, geographical, political,
scientific, human and other endeavours.
29. The IEUA supports a systematic curriculum review process that is
consultative, open, transparent, and well communicated.
30. It should provide ongoing opportunities for consultation, establish achievable
timelines and ensure that curriculum quality and currency is maintained.
31. The IEUA supports a curriculum review process where a major feature is
inclusive consultation, and where advice is sought at key points from
teachers, school administrations and organisations (in particular; unions,
parents organisations and professional teacher associations). An example of
such a model exists in NSW, conducted by the Board of Studies and Teacher
Education Standards (attached, and available at:
http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/manuals/pdf_doc/syl_dev_process.pdf)
32. The IEUA supports a national curriculum review process that is well resourced to
provide opportunities for wide participation, and to develop new resources and
meaningful professional development for teachers following curriculum
modification.
Conclusion
33. . The IEUA believes that further development of national curriculum should
reflect the broad range of needs and interests of society including parents
and employers, should reflect the professional knowledge of teachers and
should model the cooperative and collaborative approach which
characterizes the way teachers and students work in Australian schools
today.
34. The IEUA believes that there is a very real risk of overcrowding in the
curriculum, particularly in primary years, as the writing and inclusion of
additional subjects are added to those in the initial phases. This can put at
risk the capacity of primary schools to ensure that sufficient depth of content
and skill development is achieved particularly in literacy and numeracy.
35. The IEUA believes that additional resources will be required to ensure that
there is capacity to teach the entirety of the new curriculum and that these
resources might need to include the provision of specialist teachers, up-
skilling of current school teaching and support staff, changes to initial teacher
education programs and enhanced opportunities for professional
development and learning.
Chris Watt
Federal Secretary
Independent Education Union of Australia
March 2014