Our Middle Years - Department of Education and Communities ...

NSW Governmentinvestments in the Middle YearsThe NSW Government continues to invest in highly successful programs and proven initiatives relevantto students in the Middle Years, in order to prepare these young people to face future challengesand opportunities from a position of strength.Key achievements to date have included:■A comprehensive response to the recommendationsof the report Time to Teach, Time to Learn, resultingin a range of programs to improve teaching and learningin primary schools:- Getting the Balance Right – a guide for primary teachersto help them manage the implementation of the primarycurriculum and improve reporting to parents- Connected Outcome Groups (COGs) – a comprehensive setof materials to support primary teachers to plan, programand assess across all key learning areas of the curriculum- Foundation Statements – developed by the Board of Studies,in collaboration with the Department of Education andTraining, to help teachers to prioritise what needs to betaught in primary schools. They also assist with curriculumtransition to secondary schools.■■Middle Years Action Research (MYAR) Projects$750,000 was invested in the ten education regions inthe state to establish projects that would provide innovativesolutions at the school level to the challenges faced bystudents across the Middle Years.Multi-campus collegesThe multi-campus college model has provided an opportunityfor secondary schools in this model to specifically focus onthe needs of early adolescent learners and prepare them fortheir transition to post compulsory education and training.In addition, our investments which have focusedon major change to benefit all students are alsobenefiting Middle Years’ students. These include:■Implementation of the McGaw recommendationsabout the School CertificateThrough Securing Their Future a number of reformsof the School Certificate were implemented includingthe development of the K-10 Curriculum Framework,the evaluation and redevelopment of the 7-10 curriculumand the introduction of standards referenced assessmentto strengthen the School Certificate and give it meaningand significance for students, parents and the community.■■Schools in PartnershipThe Schools in Partnership (SIP) program is part of the $65million in targeted funding to improve educational outcomesfor Aboriginal students in public schools. The SIP initiative issupporting targeted schools with high numbers of Aboriginalstudents to develop innovative ways to improve the educationalachievements of Aboriginal students in partnership withAboriginal communities and other government agencies.More than $12.5 million over the next four yearsfor the Schools to Work program has been allocatedto provide vocational and enterprise learning programsand to assist students in planning their career andtransition pathways.3