What is the NSW curriculum?
The NSW curriculum is set by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and covers all government and non-government K–12 schools in New South Wales. Unlike most other Australian states, NSW does not use the Australian Curriculum (ACARA) directly — instead, NESA has developed its own NSW Syllabus documents for each key learning area (KLA).
The NSW curriculum is organised by Stage rather than year level: Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten), Stage 1 (Years 1–2), Stage 2 (Years 3–4), Stage 3 (Years 5–6), Stage 4 (Years 7–8), Stage 5 (Years 9–10), and Stage 6 (Years 11–12). Each Stage has its own learning outcomes and content requirements.
NESA is progressively updating NSW syllabuses from 2023 onwards. My Curriculum Mate reflects the current approved syllabuses, ensuring the resources you create are aligned to what NSW schools are required to teach today.
Key learning areas in the NSW curriculum
NSW schools teach eight key learning areas (KLAs) from Kindergarten to Year 10, with Stage 6 elective subjects from Year 11 onwards.
English
Reading, writing, speaking and listening across all Stages. The NSW English curriculum covers literature, language, and multimodal communication from Kindergarten to Year 12.
Mathematics
Number and algebra, measurement and space, statistics and probability. Structured around Working Mathematically proficiencies and organised by Stage.
Science
Working Scientifically skills alongside Earth and Space, Physical World, Living World, and Chemical World. Stage 4 and 5 cover Science in a combined KLA.
HSIE (Human Society and Its Environment)
History, Geography, Commerce, and other social sciences. HSIE is taught as a combined KLA in primary and splits into separate subjects at Stage 4 and above.
Creative Arts
Visual Arts, Music, Drama, and Dance. Taught as a combined Creative Arts KLA in primary and as separate elective subjects at secondary level.
PDHPE
Personal Development, Health, and Physical Education. Covers health literacy, movement skills, and personal and social development across all Stages.
Languages
A mandatory language component in primary and optional elective languages at secondary level. Common languages include Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, and Spanish.
Technologies
Design and Technology and Digital Technologies, covering design thinking, engineering principles, digital systems, and computational thinking.
How My Curriculum Mate aligns to the NSW curriculum
Select New South Wales (NSW) in My Curriculum Mate and the AI generates resources using NSW Syllabus outcome codes, Stage-based content, and NESA terminology. Lesson plans, worksheets, and unit plans are ready for a NSW classroom without manual adaptation.
- Lesson plans and unit plans mapped to NSW curriculum outcomes for the relevant Stage
- Subject-specific resources across all NSW key learning areas (KLAs)
- Stage-based language as used by NESA — Early Stage 1 through Stage 6
- Working Mathematically and Working Scientifically proficiencies integrated where relevant
- Differentiation and assessment suggestions aligned to NSW teaching standards
- Export to Word or PDF for immediate use in your school context
NSW curriculum vs NSW Syllabus — what's the difference?
In NSW, the curriculum document for each subject is called the Syllabus — for example, the NSW English Syllabus or the NSW Mathematics Syllabus. "Curriculum" and "Syllabus" are often used interchangeably by NSW teachers, but the official NESA term is Syllabus. My Curriculum Mate aligns to the NSW Syllabus for each KLA. Learn more on our NSW Syllabus page.
Frequently asked questions
Create your first NSW curriculum lesson plan
Save hours every week with AI-powered, NSW curriculum-aligned resources. Free to get started — no credit card required.