Board Bulletin (Vol 17 No 1)

Every primary, infants and central school principal recently received the Board’s new Parents’ Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses, launched by the Minister for Education and Training, John Della Bosca, on 5 February.

There has been an overwhelmingly positive response to the new booklet, which aims to give parents a straightforward explanation of the K–6 syllabuses, with examples of what their children might learn in each stage.

The Guide also explains important educational terms like ‘key learning area’ and ‘integrated units’, as well as giving suggested hours for each subject area, links to the Board’s Assessment Resource Centre and other useful information.

Mr Della Bosca said the Parents’ Guide built on the Board’s Foundation Statements to help parents better understand their child’s progress from Kindergarten to Year 6.

‘Parents play a vital role in their children’s education, and there is no better time to start than Kindergarten’, he said.

‘The Guide is a valuable resource for parents of primary school students to help them understand what their children are learning and as a reference for discussions with their teacher.

‘At a glance, parents will be able to see the amount of time their children are spending on each of the key learning areas, including 45–55 percent on English and Mathematics, and be informed about the specific topics and skills they are learning in those areas at each stage.’

The Guide was developed by the Board of Studies in consultation with teachers, parents and principals.

Presented in an easy–to–read, compact format with illustrations of original student work, the 16–page guide is being distributed by schools to all NSW families with children starting Kindergarten in 2008.

The Guide is also available on the Parents’ Page of the Board of Studies NSW website www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/parents/. This section also includes versions of the Guide in community languages (Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Arabic,Vietnamese, Spanish and Hindi)