Curriculum Programs Foundation to 10

Policy

This policy outlines the requirements for school-based curriculum programs in Victorian government schools across Foundation to Year 10. These requirements apply to all schools, including those providing alternative curriculum programs.

Summary

• Schools must provide all students with a planned and structured school-based curriculum program. There must be evidence of:
  • a whole-school curriculum plan showing how the curriculum areas of the Victorian Curriculum F–10 will be substantially addressed, organised and implemented, including number of teaching hours delivered in the curriculum areas
  • timetables that demonstrate how the 8 key learning areas are delivered
  • an explanation of how and when the curriculum and teaching practice will be reviewed.
• School-based curriculum programs must meet school registration curriculum standards and comply with associated departmental policies, including Physical and Sport Education – Delivery Requirements, Languages Education and Holocaust Education.
• Schools may align the design and delivery of school-based curriculum programs to advice provided by Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and to the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes 2.0 (FISO 2.0).
• By 2027, all Victorian government primary schools, including those offering alternative curriculum programs, must implement the Victorian reading position: teaching reading through a structured literacy approach, with a minimum of 25 minutes spent daily on systematic synthetic phonics.
• By 2028, all Victorian government schools, including those offering alternative curriculum programs, must have embedded the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0) in their teaching and learning programs.
• Schools may access Victorian Lesson Plans (on Arc) to support their implementation of the Victorian Curriculum F–10, the VTLM 2.0 and the Victorian Reading and Mathematics positions.

Details

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) sets the Victorian Curriculum F–10. The Victorian Curriculum F–10 sets out the knowledge and skills every student should learn during their first 11 years of schooling to become lifelong learners, confident individuals and active and informed citizens prepared to navigate a diverse and changing world.

Mandated curriculum content

The minimum standards for school registration are evidence of a curriculum plan showing how the 8 key learning areas will be substantially addressed and how the curriculum will be organised and implemented. The 8 key learning areas are:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Humanities (including civics and citizenship, economics and business, geography and history)
• the Arts (including dance, drama, media arts, music, visual arts and visual communication design)
• Languages
• Health and Physical Education
• Technologies (Design and Technology and Digital Technology).

Victorian government schools must also embed the 4 capabilities:

• Critical and Creative Thinking
• Ethical
• Intercultural
• Personal and Social.

Reading position F–2

All Victorian government primary and specialist schools must implement a structured literacy approach to teaching reading, commencing implementation from 2025, with full implementation from the beginning of the 2027 school year.

As part of this approach, all schools teaching students in the first 3 years of school must use a teaching program based on the 'Big 6' of learning to read and including a minimum of 25 minutes daily systematic synthetic phonics. For more information, visit: Victoria's approach to teaching reading F–2.

Mathematics position statement

The Mathematics position statement outlines Victoria’s approach to teaching Mathematics. It prioritises evidence-based practices aligned with how students learn. This includes recommended time allocations of about 60 minutes per day in Prep to Year 6 and about 200 minutes a week in Years 7 to 10. For more information, visit: Mathematics position statement.

Career education

All students in Years 7 to 12 must participate in planned career education activities. Refer to Career Education Funding – Accountability and Reporting Requirements.

Holocaust education

All Victorian government school students in the Years 9 to 10 band of schooling must be taught about the Holocaust as part of the school’s curriculum program. Refer to Holocaust Education – Delivery Requirements.

Languages

All Victorian government schools must provide a languages program for students from Foundation to Year 10. Refer to Languages Education.

Sexuality and consent education

All Victorian government school students must receive a comprehensive and age-appropriate sexual health education aligned to the Victorian Curriculum, including the teaching of consent. Refer to Sexuality and Consent Education.

Student wellbeing

School-based curriculum programs must:

• incorporate opportunities for all students to enhance their own and others' wellbeing
• support students to develop knowledge, understanding and skills that enable them to engage critically with a range of health and wellbeing areas and issues.

General religious education

Learning about religions is part of the Victorian Curriculum. General religious education provides information to students about world faiths and secular belief structures, enabling them to understand the world around them, respect differences and embrace people from all cultural and religious backgrounds to build strong and respectful relationships within a multicultural society.

All education providers must ensure that their programs and teachings are delivered in a manner that supports and promotes the principles and practice of democracy, including a commitment to freedom of religion, speech and association. Government school teachers must not provide teaching in religion other than general religious education.

Religious celebrations and festivals

General religious education may include teaching about, and acknowledgement of, religious celebrations or festivals. This may include recognition of, and educational activities relating to, key religious celebrations such as Christmas, Diwali, Eid al-Adha or Hanukkah. For more information about the role of special religious instruction instructors at general religious education events refer to School celebrations and cultural events in Special Religious Instruction.

Guest speakers

General religious education classes or events may include guest speakers who are representatives of a particular faith to explain the workings and belief structures of their religion. However, the guest speakers must not provide instruction in their religion or promote the religion. They must comply with the department’s policy on Visitors in Schools. For information about organisations that can provide guest speakers representing particular religions, refer to Teaching about world religions in the Resources tab of this topic.

Time allocations

A minimum time allocation is mandated for physical and sport education in Victorian government schools. Refer to Physical and Sport Education – Delivery Requirements.

All Victorian primary schools must teach a minimum of 25 minutes of systematic synthetic phonics across grades Prep-2 daily. Refer to Victorian reading position.

Time allocations are not mandated in other learning areas. While time allocations are not a measure of the quality of the teaching and learning program, the amount of time students are given to engage with a curriculum area will influence the knowledge and skills that can be addressed.

Curriculum implementation supports for schools

Departmental supports include:

• Victorian Lesson Plans for English (including Phonics Plus), Mathematics, Science, Design and Technologies
• VTLM 2.0 Guides (visit Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) on Arc) that set out practices and techniques for the Planning, Enabling learning, Explicit teaching and Supported application elements of teaching. Note: VTLM 2.0 Planning Guides provide guidance on developing the whole-school teaching and learning program, including the 4 interrelated layers of curriculum documentation (whole-school, curriculum area, year level, unit and lesson plans)
• webinars, professional learning opportunities to support curriculum implementation and teaching resources (visit Arc: Supporting Victorian teachers)
• Year 1 Phonics Check (available in 2025 and mandatory for all Victorian government primary schools from 2026)
• Year 1 Numeracy Check 2026 Pilot (mandatory for all Victorian government primary schools from 2027).

The VCAA provides:

• guidelines to support schools’ curriculum implementation planning at: Victorian Curriculum F–10 Revised curriculum planning and reporting guidelines (PDF)
• curriculum area-specific resources, including introductory videos, comparisons of curriculums (Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 1.0 to Version 2.0), scope and sequences and glossaries, at: Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0.

Selecting appropriate teaching and learning materials

All Victorian government schools must ensure that teaching and learning resources provide challenging and engaging learning programs for students but do not offend students or the wider school community due to an obscene, offensive or controversial nature. Refer to Teaching and Learning Resources – Selecting Appropriate Materials.

For reference: curriculum responsibilities of Victorian government agencies

The Department of Education is responsible for developing policies, guidance and resources to support quality curriculum implementation in Victorian government schools. In exercising this responsibility, the department aims to provide equitable access for every government school student to excellent education, as set out in the priorities of the refreshed Education State.

The VCAA is responsible for developing the curriculum for Victoria’s school-aged students. The Victorian Curriculum F–10 adopts and adapts the Australian Curriculum for Victoria’s context. It sets out the set of knowledge and skills every Victorian student should learn during their first 11 years of schooling.

The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) is responsible for registering Victorian schools. As a threshold for school registration, the VRQA requires evidence of a curriculum plan showing how 8 key learning areas will be substantially addressed and how the curriculum will be organised and implemented. For further information, refer to: Guidelines to the Minimum Standards and Requirements for School Registration.

Related policies

• Assessment of Student Achievement and Progress for Foundation to 10
• Career Education Funding – Accountability and Reporting Requirements
• Holocaust Education – Delivery Requirements
• Languages Education
• Physical and Sport Education – Delivery Requirements
• Reporting Student Achievement and Progress for Foundation to 10
• Sexuality and Consent Education
• Special Religious Instruction
• Teaching and Learning Resources – Selecting Appropriate Materials

This guidance contains the following chapters:

• Developing and implementing curriculum programs Foundation to 10
• Victorian Lesson Plans

Developing and implementing curriculum programs Foundation to 10

The following guidance is provided to support schools to develop and implement quality school-based curriculum programs across Foundation to Level 10.

Note: This guidance is for curriculum programs for Foundation to Level 10. For information on senior secondary curriculum, please see the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) webpages:

• Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) including the VCE Vocational Major
• Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC)
• Vocational Education and Training (VET)

VCAA F-10 curriculum planning guidelines

The VCAA provides the F–10 Revised Curriculum Planning and Reporting Guidelines (PDF) to support schools in the design and delivery of curriculum programs. These Guidelines acknowledge the need to approach key stages of school differently, given the diverse learning needs from early childhood to secondary school. The minimum requirements at each learning stage are summarised:

The VCAA also provides an online Curriculum planning resource, which includes a self-assessment tool for schools and sample school-based curriculum plans. These resources support schools to develop curriculum programs that cater for all students and reflect the decisions, resources and priorities of the school. They involve 4 layers for schools to consider: school, curriculum area, year level and unit/lessons.

Schools are expected to align the design and delivery of school-based curriculum programs to advice provided by VCAA.

Resources

Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0)

Online supports for the Teaching and Learning and Assessment elements of FISO 2.0 are available on the Guidance and Resources tabs of the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) policy.

The department has produced Using FISO 2.0 to plan school improvement (PDF) to support school leaders and School Improvement Teams (SITs) to plan and implement change.

Using the FISO 2.0 improvement cycle, the guide presents a series of guiding questions and key actions to support planning.

Other departmental guidance on curriculum development and implementation

Additional guidance is available to schools to support them to implement departmental policies on curriculum program design and delivery.

Languages Education guidance includes the following topics:

• What makes a quality language program
• Start a new language program
• Staffing a language program
• Language assistants’ program
• Language program funding, resources and support
• Approaches to teaching languages
• Complementary language providers
• Promote learning a language
• Languages data and research.

Holocaust Education guidance includes the following topics:

• Why study the Holocaust
• Characteristics of a quality Holocaust Education program
• Overcoming barriers to quality provision.

Career Education resources are available on the VCAA website and include the following topics:

• What do students need to learn?
• What can schools do?
• Why does it matter?
• Department of Education support for career education.

Selecting Teaching and Learning Resources Guidelines include the following topics:

• Overview
• Questions to ask when selecting teaching and learning resources
• Selecting films and computer games
• Staging public events or school performances
• Controversial topics
• Resolving issues concerning objections to teaching and learning resources.

Resources

Minimum standards for school registration

The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority's Guidelines to the Minimum Standards and Requirements for School Registration outline that schools are required to provide all students with a planned and structured curriculum to equip them with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to complete their schooling and to make a successful transition from school to work, training or further education.

F–10 curriculum planning guidelines

The VCAA provides the following curriculum support resources:

• updated curriculum planning guidelines to support schools in the design and delivery of high quality school-based curriculum programs: VCAA Victorian Curriculum F–10 Revised curriculum planning and reporting guidelines
• a comprehensive online Curriculum Planning Resource, which includes a self-assessment tool for schools and sample school-based curriculum plans.

Victorian Government priorities and departmental policies

The department provides information on the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0) and its elements to support schools’ to enact their curriculum programs.

Resources are available to schools to support them to implement departmental policies.

Supports available to schools for implementing Victoria’s approach to teaching reading in F–2 include:

• English lesson plans aligned to the Big 6, the English Curriculum 2.0 and the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0. This includes the Phonics Plus program in F-2 which uses a systematic synthetic phonics approach to teach reading
• webinars and other professional learning opportunities to support implementation of this approach to teaching reading
• teaching resources available on ARC.

Learning sequences in English and Mathematics for Levels 5 to 8 include links to:

• Victorian Curriculum-aligned teaching and learning resources
• differentiated and cross-curriculum enriched content
• advice for planning, delivery and assessment.

Physical and Sport Education resources include links to useful websites.

Languages Education resources include links to:

• information resources for schools, regions and reviewers (login required)
• the Victorian Curriculum: Languages
• department teaching and learning resources
• help for parents/carers to find a languages program in a Victorian government school.

Holocaust Education resources include links to:

• teacher professional learning
• background reading/viewing for teachers
• teaching and learning resources.

Sexuality and Consent Education resources include links to:

• professional learning
• useful websites
• department resources
• external resources
• information on working with parents and/or carers
• external support services.

Career education resources include a dedicated Career Education resources website produced by the VCAA. Resources are available for all learning areas and capabilities of the Victorian Curriculum.

Teaching and Learning Resources – Selecting Appropriate Materials resources includes a template Parent Consent Form for viewing M/MA films or computer games.

Teaching about world religions

Schools may book guest speakers who are able to speak with students about the key tenets of their respective religions and their lived experience as adherents of their faith. This can contribute to a school’s program of teaching about major religions and world views (PDF) as part of the Victorian Curriculum F–10. Guest speakers must comply with the department’s Special Religious Instruction policy and Visitors in Schools policy.

Please refer to contacts listed within the Special Religious Instruction policy that can assist schools in identifying appropriate guest speakers. For teaching about Islam, refer to specific information below.

While not required, schools are requested to make a payment of $300 to the respective faith organisation when a speaker is booked. This is to cover administrative costs, travel costs and other sundry expenses. Additional expenses may be involved if a speaker is travelling a long distance or where overnight accommodation is required.

Teaching about Islam

The Islamic Council of Victoria can provide Muslim guest speakers who have:

• a current Working with Children Clearance
• experience speaking with school-aged students
• familiarity with the department’s policies, including the Special Religious Instruction policy and Visitors in Schools policy.

The normal time for a presentation is about 45 minutes. On most occasions this will include the opportunity for questions and answers. Schools can discuss with the Council any particular issues or focus points they would like the speaker to address. The Council will help to match appropriate speakers with schools, giving consideration to factors such as geographic location.

Bookings can be made by contacting the Islamic Council of Victoria:

• phone: 03 9328 2067
• email: admin@icv.org.au
• key contact: Adel Salman, President.

For information on the key considerations for schools in teaching about Islam, refer to: A discussion with Adel Salman – President of Islamic Council of Victoria on Arc.