NESA Syllabus Overview K-6 (Home Schooling) – Comprehensive Notes

Overview and purpose

• This document is the NESA S syllabus overview for Home Schooling Parents Years K-6 (Early Stage 1 – Stage 3), October 2023. It consolidates syllabuses to be implemented in 2024 and beyond and provides outcomes, content and stage statements where applicable for each syllabus across key learning areas from Kindergarten to Stage 3.
• It is not a substitute for the official NESA syllabuses published on the NSW Curriculum website; where differences exist, the NESA syllabus applies. Links to the NSW Curriculum site and to Home Schooling Registration guidelines are provided in the document.
• Intended use for parents: to gain insight into course options, content addressed, and syllabus outcomes; to support planning, programming and tracking progress; and to copy selected outcomes/content as needed for educational programs (with formatting preserved).
• The document emphasizes flexibility for home schooling: a range of programming, planning and recording strategies are acknowledged, including adjusting to student needs and differentiating programming.
• Foundation information emphasizes using content points, acquisition across English and Mathematics, and accessing online guides and support materials (Resources on NESA and NSW Curriculum).

Important notes and governance

• Registration and curriculum requirements reference:
  • The Guidelines for Home Schooling Registration in NSW (Sections 7–10) and related curriculum requirements:
  • https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/regulation/home-schooling/home-schooling-registration
• Syllabuses are published on the NSW Curriculum website: https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au
• If there is any difference between this Syllabus Overview and the NESA syllabuses, the NESA syllabuses apply.
• Practical use for parents: copying content with formatting; using the content as a reference point or checklist to track learning and achievement.
• Accessibility and adjustments: the document includes guidance on adjustments to enable access to outcomes and content for students with disability; content points and access pathways are provided (including Early Stage 1 access content points for significant intellectual disability).

How to develop an educational program (foundations)

• Focus on the needs, strengths, goals, interests, and prior learning of the child (differentiated programming).
• Use syllabus documents and resources to address learning needs.
• Make adjustments to enable access to syllabus outcomes and content; demonstrate achievement/progress through suitable methods.
• Consider sequencing and emphasis across syllabus content.
• Record and demonstrate progress across the program; use a combination of materials and methods.
• A range of support materials is available on the NESA website and on NSW Curriculum for updated syllabuses.
• Foundation skills in English and Mathematics are the building blocks for later stages; sequences can be adapted to reflect a child’s development.

Foundation skills and syllabus support

• Foundation skills in English and Mathematics are targeted to support Early Stage 1 and build toward later stages. Syllabuses for each stage build on these foundations.
• The NESA website provides teaching advice and support materials; search by Stage, Learning Area, Resource Type, Syllabus Content and Focus Areas.
• The NSW Curriculum interactive site offers teaching advice, examples and strategies; it is a primary support resource for updated syllabuses.
• For tracking and planning, the NESA Outcome Summary K-6 is a useful reference point.

Adjustments

• Adjustments are measures or actions taken in teaching, learning and assessment to enable access to outcomes for students with disability.
• Options include engaging with one of the following:
  • Outcomes and content from the child’s age-appropriate stage with adjustments, or complementary content; or
  • Outcomes from an earlier stage using age-appropriate content.
• Access content points have been developed for Early Stage 1 for children working toward Early Stage 1 outcomes; content points enable targeted assessment and progress planning.
• Further information can be found under Accessing the Curriculum on the NESA website.

Kindergarten (Early Stage 1) courses (highlights by learning area)

• English
  • English K-10 syllabus is the reference; this document provides an abridged outline focusing on foundational skills across oral language, reading and writing.
  • Organised around Oral language and communication; Print conventions; Phonics; Reading fluency; Reading comprehension; Creating written texts; Spelling; Handwriting; Understanding and responding to literature.
  • Example content terms (focus areas and outcomes) include:
  • Oral language and communication: ENE-OLC-01; Vocabulary: ENE-VOCAB-01; Phonological awareness: ENE-PHOAW-01; Reading: ENE-REFLU-01; ENE-RECOM-01; Writing: ENE-CWT-01; Spelling: ENE-SPELL-01; Handwriting: ENE-HANDW-01; Literature: ENE-UARL-01.
  • Notes emphasize complementary content for alternative communication forms (e.g., signing/Auslan) and that content should be taught through speaking and listening experiences where appropriate.
  • Text selection: daily opportunities to be read to, read decodable texts, wide reading and wide writing; variety of texts including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander texts, Australian literature, picture books, poetry, and multimodal texts; includes informational and persuasive texts; decodable texts; and digital texts.
  • Supporting resources: NSW Curriculum English K-10 teaching materials; sample scope and sequences; content continuums; teaching advice and additional guidance; glossary access.
• Mathematics
  • Mathematics K-10 reference; Early Stage 1 focuses on building foundational concepts; Working Mathematically is embedded across syllabus outcomes.
  • Stage 1 (K-2) examples: Representing whole numbers up to at least $20$ (MAE-RWN-01); place value concepts; simple addition/subtraction; forming groups; interpreting simple measures; 2D/3D shapes; data displays; time (hour/minute relevant to Stage 1).
  • Outcomes use codes such as MAE-RWN-01, MAE-CSQ-01, MAE-GM-01, MAE-NSM-01, MAE-DATA-01, etc.
  • Focus areas include Number and Algebra; Measurement and Space; Statistics and Probability; and emphasis on fluency and reasoning (
    MA0-WM-01 for Working Mathematically).
• Science and Technology
  • Working Scientifically and Design and Production underpin early learning. Skills include questioning, planning investigations, data collection/analysis, communication; design thinking processes; and safe lab practices.
  • By end of Early Stage 1, students: observe, question, collect data; communicate ideas; explore living things; understand materials’ properties; describe motion and forces; recognize daily/seasonal environmental changes; identify digital systems and simple instruction-following.
• HSIE – Geography
  • Focus on places and their significance to people; understanding maps; fieldwork potential; local to global perspectives.
  • Stage Statement: by end of Early Stage 1, students identify familiar places, explain why places matter, and begin to understand maps.
• History
  • Personal and Family Histories: exploring family heritage; using artefacts and texts to communicate past events; site studies when appropriate.
  • Stage Statement: students tell stories about family history; compare past vs present; sequence events and question past happenings.
• PDHPE
  • Syllabus focuses on Health, Wellbeing and Relationships; Movement skill development; Health, Safe and Active Lifestyles; and Skills Outcomes (self-management, interpersonal skills).
  • Stage 1 outcomes include recognizing personal growth, safety, resilience, inclusive relationships and movement awareness.
• Creative Arts
  • Syllabus covers Visual Arts, Music, Drama, and Dance; students make and respond to artworks; perform and respond to music; dramatize personal experiences; and explore dance movement.
  • Stage 1 Stage Statement highlights that students create, perform and respond with basic technical understanding; developing audiences and expression.
• Languages (optional: Aboriginal Languages, Auslan, Classical, Modern)
  • Optional syllabuses provide opportunities to study languages beyond the six mandatory areas.
  • Aboriginal Languages (Early Stage 1) focuses on Interacting, Responding, Composing, Language role and identity, and Language building; similar structure for Auslan, Classical, and Modern Languages.
  • Auslan (K-10) emphasizes interaction, text access/creation, role of language and culture; dialect considerations (Northern vs Southern) and accessibility for deafblind learners.
  • Modern, Classical, and other language options include focus areas such as Interacting, Understanding texts, Creating texts, and Intercultural understanding.

Years 1 and 2 (Stage 1) courses (highlights)

• English
  • Outcomes categorized under Understanding texts and Creating texts; complementary content for alternative communication forms; daily reading/writing expectations; text types include Aboriginal/Islander texts, Australian literature, picture books, poetry, and multimodal texts.
  • Sample outcomes: EN1-OLC-01; EN1-VOCAB-01; EN1-PHOKW-01; EN1-REFLU-01; EN1-RECOM-01; EN1-CWT-01; EN1-SPELL-01; EN1-HANDW-01; EN1-UARL-01.
• Mathematics
  • Similar structure to K; content expands to represent numbers, place value up to larger values (e.g., decimals up to 2 places; additive/multiplicative relations); continued focus on Working Mathematically; introduction to data, chance, measurement, and geometry.
  • Sample codes: MA1-RWN-01; MA1-RWN-02; MA1-CSQ-01; MA1-FG-01; MA0-WM-01; MA1-GM-01; MA1-NSM-01; MA1-NSM-02; MA1-DATA-01; MA1-CHAN-01.
• Science and Technology; Geography; History; PDHPE; Creative Arts; Languages
  • Each area continues with stage-specific outcomes; focus areas and content expand in complexity from Kindergarten through Stage 1.

Years 3 and 4 (Stage 2) courses (highlights)

• English
  • Outcomes broaden to Extended vocabulary, writing for multiple purposes, and more complex literary elements; emphasis on analysis of texts, perspective, argument and context.
  • Sample outcomes: EN2-OLC-01; EN2-VOCAB-01; EN2-REFLU-01; EN2-RECOM-01; EN2-CWT-01; EN2-SPELL-01; EN2-HANDW-01; EN2-UARL-01.
• Mathematics
  • Greater emphasis on place value up to higher scales; decimals; multiplicative reasoning; geometric measure; 2D/3D shapes; area, volume, and time; data display; probability.
  • Key codes include MA2-RN-01; MA2-AR-01; MA2-MR-01; MA2-MR-02; MA2-GM-01; MA2-2DS-01; MA2-NSM-01; MA2-DATA-01; MA2-CHAN-01.
• Science and Technology; Geography; History; PDHPE; Creative Arts; Aboriginal Languages/Auslan/Modern/Classic languages
  • Stage 2 continues to deepen inquiry-based learning: planning, investigations, design briefs, and evaluation criteria; making connections to sustainability and real-world applications.
• Stage Statements (Stage 2)
  • Students engage in Working Scientifically and Design and Production with guided investigations becoming more independent.
  • They develop data handling, design ideas, and sustainability considerations; describe life cycles; explore materials, energy, forces and the environment; study digital systems and algorithms.

Years 5 and 6 (Stage 3) courses (highlights)

• English
  • Advanced text analysis; extended writing for diverse purposes; explicit attention to audience, purpose, and textual features; development of independent reading and critical thinking.
  • Sample outcomes: EN3-OLC-01; EN3-VOCAB-01; EN3-RECOM-01; EN3-CWT-01; EN3-SPELL-01; EN3-HANDW-01; EN3-UARL-01.
• Mathematics
  • More complex number theory (representing numbers up to very large scales; decimals up to higher precision), fractions, percentages, and multiplicative reasoning; geometry; measurement; data and probability; algebraic thinking and problem-solving.
  • Key outcomes include: MA3-RN-01; MA3-RN-02; MA3-AR-01; MA3-MR-01; MA3-MR-02; MA3-GM-01; MA3-2DS-01; MA3-2DS-02; MA3-3DS-01; MA3-3DS-02; MA3-NSM-01; MA3-NSM-02; MA3- DATA-01; MA3- CHAN-01.
• Science and Technology
  • Stage 3 emphasizes independent investigations, data collection/analysis, and communication of findings; focus on life cycles, sustainable food/fibre production, properties of materials, energy and forces, Earth’s changes, and digital data transmission.
  • Outcomes include ST3-1WS-S; ST3-2DP-T; ST3-3DP-T; ST3-4LW-S; ST3-5LW-T; ST3-6MW-S; ST3-7MW-T; ST3-8PW-S; ST3-9PW-ST; ST3-10ES-S; ST3-11DI-T.
• HSIE – Geography/History
  • Geography Stage 3: examines diverse places and environments; examine interactions between people and environments; data representation via maps, tables, graphs; action planning and local/global connections; (Stage 3) GE3-1 to GE3-3; and inquiry processes.
  • History Stage 3: focuses on Australian colonies and federation; change and continuity; rights/freedoms; exploration; time sequencing and use of historical terms; source analysis; narrative/text production.
• PDHPE
  • Stage 3 emphasizes healthy, safe, active lifestyles; development of resilience, empathy, and inclusive relationships; personal identity and transitions; movement skills with higher complexity; decision-making and risk management.
• Creative Arts
  • Stage 3 extends Visual Arts, Music, Drama and Dance; aims for more sustained, sophisticated artistic interpretations; audiences and interpretation; performance quality and technique; critical appreciation.
• Languages (Optional)
  • Aboriginal Languages; Auslan; Classical Languages; Modern Languages – Stage 3 content emphasizes intercultural understanding, language systems, and creating texts in target languages; higher complexity and translation/interpretation tasks.

Stage statements (summary across stages)

• Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten): Students engage in Working Scientifically and Design/Production; explore surroundings; ask questions; collect data; communicate ideas; learn in collaboration; develop awareness of living things and materials, and follow safety practices.
• Stage 1 (Years 1–2): Students build foundational knowledge in English and Mathematics; begin guided inquiry in other subjects; practice data collection and simple analysis; begin to understand maps, simple timelines, and basic design thinking.
• Stage 2 (Years 3–4): Increased independence; formal inquiry processes; more complex text analysis; broader mathematical operations; deeper exploration of science, geography and history; focus on sustainability and digital technologies.
• Stage 3 (Years 5–6): Advanced inquiry and independent projects; sophisticated analysis of texts, data and systems; strong emphasis on applied mathematics (fractions, decimals, geometry, probability), science/technology design challenges, and complex geographical/historical interpretations.

Cross-cutting resources and references

• NSW Curriculum website: main repository for syllabuses, glossaries, teaching advice, and learning support.
• NESA Syllabus Overview pages include: Outcome Summaries K-6; Stage statements; and content points to assist planning and assessment.
• Support materials on the NSW Curriculum site include:
  • Sample scopes and sequences
  • Continuum of content groups
  • Teaching advice and additional strategies
  • Meaningful text selections for English
• ACARA NLNLPs (National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions) V3 provide progress benchmarks for literacy progress planning and assessment.
• The document encourages using a combination of curriculum-based content and teacher/parent judgment to tailor instruction, with a strong emphasis on accessibility and inclusivity.

Key mathematical and content references (selected examples)

• Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) Mathematics: place value foundations; numbers up to at least $20$; reading numerals; basic operations.
• Stage 2 Mathematics: place value up to $10^4$ (tens of thousands) and related linear representations; fractions and decimals; area/volume; 2D/3D shapes; data & probability; time.
• Stage 3 Mathematics: more advanced place value, decimals to multiple places (e.g., up to 3 decimal places ext{(0.xxx)}}); fractions with various denominators; geometric measurement on coordinate planes; area/volume for real shapes; data interpretation and graphs.
• Example fractions in Stage 2: $frac{1}{2}, frac{1}{4}, frac{1}{5}, frac{1}{10}$ used in measurement and fractions tasks.

Practical implications for families

• Use outcomes to generate an educational program, plan units, and track progress; copy outcomes/content with formatting when needed.
• Consider adjustments for students with disabilities; use early stage access content points where relevant; adapt content to reflect individual needs.
• Leverage fieldwork opportunities when appropriate (and accessible) to connect learning to the local environment.
• Languages (optional) provide extended opportunities but require additional planning and time; consider language revival or first language contexts as appropriate.
• Ongoing use of NSW Curriculum and NESA resources is encouraged to stay aligned with current syllabuses and teaching practices.

Practical reminders for parents

• Always refer to the current NESA syllabuses published on the NSW Curriculum website for official guidance; this overview is a companion document and not a substitute.
• When copying content into your educational program, use the