Pre-primary to Year 10: Languages and The Arts curriculum familiarisation workshops

Contacts

Languages
Kimberley Paton (08) 9273 6372
Kimberley.Paton@scsa.wa.edu.au

The Arts
Antoniett Halden (08) 9273 6791
Antoniett.Halden@scsa.wa.edu.au

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority will be providing professional learning opportunities to support schools with their familiarisation with the Western Australian Curriculum for Pre‑primary to Year 10 Languages and The Arts.

These two learning areas of the Western Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline (the Outline) are in the familiarisation phase of adopting and adapting the Australian Curriculum version 9 to the Western Australian context in 2026.

The purpose of these in-person workshops is to:

• familiarise schools with the support materials on the Authority website
• explore the key curriculum changes in detail for specified subjects and languages
• provide activities that guide schools in understanding the new curriculum changes
• provide teaching and learning support.

The Authority is providing up to two days teacher relief payments for schools across all school systems/sectors. Participants will receive letters on the day of the workshop to progress the teacher relief payment.

Following the workshop, participants will receive a digital presentation pack designed to facilitate professional learning within their respective schools.

The Western Australian Curriculum, as published in the Outline available at https://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au, is the mandated curriculum for Western Australian schools and must continue to be implemented in all schools until advised otherwise. Schools will be required to teach the revised year level curriculum for Languages and The Arts in 2027.

Register at https://scsa.wa.edu.au/news-and-events/all-events/curriculum-familiarisation-2026-pre-primary-to-year-10-languages-and-the-arts-workshops.

More information is available at https://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/resources/revised-western-australian-curriculum-familiarisation.

Pre-primary to Year 10: Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics, Science and Technologies curriculum online implementation briefings

Contact

Chris Kelley (08) 9273 6750
Chris.Kelley@scsa.wa.edu.au

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) is offering briefings to support schools with the implementation of the revised Western Australian Curriculum for Pre‑primary to Year 10 Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics, Science and Technologies. Schools are required to teach the revised Western Australian Curriculum for these learning areas from 2026.

Register at https://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/news-and-events/all-events/curriculum-implementation-2026-pre-primary-to-year-10-learning-area-briefings.

Note: the Authority uses Webex as the delivery platform for all online briefings, seminars and workshops. Registrants will need to download the application prior to the meeting to participate.

Languages ATAR Years 11 and 12 online syllabus review briefing

Contact

Sonia Belot (08) 9273 6725
Sonia.Belot@scsa.wa.edu.au

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) is offering syllabus review briefings for Language ATAR Years 11 and 12.

The Board of the Authority approved a review of the Languages ATAR syllabuses in March 2023. Feedback from the Curriculum Advisory Committees (CACs) led to moderate changes, including the removal of outdated content, updates to unit topics, and revisions to examination requirements.

Statewide and CAC consultations for Second and Background Language courses took place between October 2024 and August 2025. The feedback highlighted the need to reassess specifications in the practical (oral) and written examination design briefs, and section weightings in the written examinations.

The Language courses introduced for Hindi, Korean, Punjabi and Tamil are not part of this process.

Language ATAR courses reviewed and updated in 2025 were:

• Background Language French, German and Italian
• Second Language Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian and Japanese.

Online briefings detailing the final updates for these courses will be held on:

• Tuesday, 31 March 2026, 4.00–5.00 pm
• Tuesday, 21 April 2026, 4.00–5.00 pm.

The briefings are not compulsory and are free to attend. Teachers may attend either session.

Register at https://scsa.wa.edu.au/news-and-events/all-events/languages-years-11-and-12-atar-syllabus-review-briefing.

Note: the Authority uses Webex as the delivery platform for the briefings and registrants will need to have downloaded the application prior to the meeting to participate.

Literature ATAR Year 12 course – Update to Maximising feedback data sheets

Contact

Gerard Morris (08) 9273 6742
Gerard.Morris@scsa.wa.edu.au

Additional Maximising feedback data sheets (MF01) for the Literature ATAR Year 12 course examination are available in the Student Information Records System (SIRS) under the Literature detailed written examination feedback tab.

MF01 is a dataset based on a criterion-referenced marking key that has been in use since 2016 for the Year 12 Literature ATAR course examination to analyse student performance. This marking key enables schools to gain a clearer overview of their students’ performance in the Literature ATAR course examination and to identify strategies to improve outcomes for current students.

MF01 sheets 1–4 provide detailed data for each student against each criterion, for each question, within each genre. Sheet 5 presents the information provided on sheets 1 and 4 in a more user-friendly format. Sheet 6 allows schools to compare their mean score with the State mean available in Sheet 7.

Literature MF01 data sheets are available in SIRS at https://sirs.scsa.wa.edu.au/SIRS/WebPages/Reports.

Note: access to the sheets is limited to identified staff. Teachers wishing to review the sheets will need to liaise with their Deputy Principal.

2026 Health Studies ATAR Year 12 syllabus

Contact

Lisa Honczarenko (08) 9273 6763
Lisa.Honczarenko@scsa.wa.edu.au

Dino Manalis (08) 9273 6356
Dino.Manalis@scsa.wa.edu.au

The Australian Government has updated the National Strategic Framework for Chronic Conditions (NSFCC). This update includes changes to the Principles and Objectives of the Framework.

The NSFCC is referenced in the Health Studies ATAR Year 12 syllabus. It was updated after the current syllabus became effective on 1 January 2026.

The syllabus for 2026 does not reflect the Australian Government’s NSFCC update. Teachers must continue to teach the current Health Studies ATAR Year 12 syllabus for teaching in 2026 which references the NSFCC 2017–25. This syllabus is available at https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/health-and-physical-education/health-studies.

The Health Studies ATAR Year 12 syllabus will be updated for teaching in 2027 to reference the NSFCC 2026–35.

Examination reports for the 2025 ATAR course examinations

Contact

Lisa Honczarenko (08) 9273 6763
Lisa.Honczarenko@scsa.wa.edu.au

The 2025 ATAR course examination reports are now available on the course pages of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) Extranet.

The Extranet is the Authority’s secure area for teachers to access materials and resources to support them in their work. Log onto, or register for, the Extranet at https://scsa.wa.edu.au/extranet/login.

Summary examination reports for candidates for the 2025 ATAR course examinations are available on the Authority website course pages without logging onto the Extranet.

Note: examination reports are not available for courses with low numbers of candidates or school offerings.

2026 Year 12 practical examination requirements documents and practical marking keys for ATAR courses

Contact
Lisa Honczarenko (08) 9273 6763
Lisa.Honczarenko@scsa.wa.edu.au

The practical examination requirements documents and the practical marking keys for all ATAR Year 12 courses that have a practical component are available on the relevant course page.

These documents contain important information about the reporting of achievement, how the examination is structured and conducted as well as key dates. Teachers and students should be familiar with both documents prior to the ATAR course practical examinations.

The practical examination requirements documents and the practical marking keys are available as listed below.

Aviation
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/technologies/aviation

Chinese: Second Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/chinese-second-language

Dance
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/arts/dance

Design
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/arts/design

Drama
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/arts/drama

French: Background Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/french-background-language

French: Second Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/french-second-language

German: Background Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/german-background-language

German: Second Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/german-second-language

Hindi: Background Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/hindi-background-language

Indonesian: Background Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/indonesian-background-language

Indonesian: Second Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/indonesian-second-language

Italian: Background Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/italian-background-language

Italian: Second Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/italian-second-language

Japanese: Second Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/japanese-second-language

Korean: Background Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/korean-background-language

Korean: Second Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/korean-second-language

Materials Design and Technology
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/technologies/materials-design-and-technology

Media Production and Analysis
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/arts/media-production-and-analysis

Music
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/arts/music

Punjabi: Background Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/punjabi-background-language

Tamil: Background Language
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/tamil-background-language

Visual Arts
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/arts/visual-arts

Application for Equitable access adjustments for ATAR course examinations

Contact

Glenn Carroll (08) 9273 6327
Glenn.Carroll@scsa.wa.edu.au

The deadline for completed Equitable access adjustment application forms for ATAR course practical and written examinations to be received by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority was Thursday, 26 March 2026.

If schools were unable to submit applications by this date, contact the Authority at specialprovs@scsa.wa.edu.au or 9273 6327.

Further information on the application process is available at https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/assessment/examinations/special-provisions.

There will be no sickness/misadventure consideration in practical performance examinations in Dance and Music for candidates on the basis of an injury or illness existing at the start of Term 3.

Applications for alternative format practical examinations in these examinations will be accepted until Wednesday, 29 July 2026.

School-based practical external assessment 2026

Contact

Melanie McKeaig (08) 9273 6320
spea@scsa.wa.edu.au

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) has reviewed the first  school-based practical external assessment (SPEA) held in 2025 and will implement some initiatives for the SPEA in 2026. These initiatives were communicated to schools on Thursday, 19 March 2026.

1. Early in Term 2, the Authority will publish written feedback from the lead assessor for each SPEA sport in 2025 to support preparation by teachers and students for the SPEA in 2026.
2. In Term 2, the Authority will conduct additional professional learning sessions for teachers on the application of the SPEA marking key. Details of the sessions, including dates and venues, will be communicated via the Authority’s 7to12 Circular and website.
3. The Authority will appoint two external assessors to each SPEA session, where the availability of external assessors supports this.
4. The Authority will allow the Principal of each school offering the Year 12 PES ATAR course to select which of the teachers at their school will assess each SPEA session. This is a change from the 2025 requirement that only the Year 12 PES ATAR classroom teacher can assess each SPEA session.

The Authority has updated its online support materials to reflect the above changes. The Authority notes that initiative four (4) may impact student sport selection and teacher details entered into the Student Information Records System (SIRS) by schools. In recognition of this, the Authority will extend the due date to change or upload this information to the end of Term 1, 2026 on Thursday, 2 April 2026.

2026 Consensus Moderation

Contact

Nick Ognenis (08) 9273 6354
Nick.Ognenis@scsa.wa.edu.au

The Board of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority has endorsed consensus moderation processes for selected ATAR Years 11 and 12 courses in 2026.

Participation in this moderation process is compulsory for all schools delivering a course listed in the table below.

In 2026, consensus moderation meetings will be in-person full-day meetings for the metropolitan area.

Consensus moderation meetings will focus on the review of student assessment files and the application of the grade descriptions in a course to determine a grade, and on assessment practice as outlined in sub‑section 2.4 of the WACE Manual 2026.

A key aspect to achieving comparability in standards is the development and implementation of valid and appropriate school-based assessment tasks that provide for a comprehensive sampling of the syllabus content and provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the full range of achievements.

Participating teachers are required to upload a student assessment file for three students (one at each grade from A to C), including all assessment types and all marked assessments up to the time of providing the file. Additionally, schools will be required to provide a proposed grade distribution for the course at the time of the meeting.

Regional schools will be given the option of either attending meetings at their nearest location or participating in an online meeting following the same process as the in-person meetings.

Consensus moderation meetings may be conducted in Weeks 8–10 of Term 2 and in Weeks 2–6 of Term 3, 2026. Further information on consensus moderation can be found in sub‑section 3.4.5 of the WACE Manual 2026.

Each school will be required to register one teacher for every course listed below that it is delivering.

Information regarding registration of teachers and specific course requirements will be sent to Principals.

Teachers need to ensure that all marked student work is retained for moderation purposes. This includes evidence collected for courses with portfolios and/or practical requirements. Further information is available in sub‑section 2.8 of the WACE Manual 2026.

Courses in Consensus Moderation in 2026

WACE Refreshment – Certificate IV qualifications update

Contact

Adam Smith (08) 9442 9440
vetinfo@scsa.wa.edu.au

Jackie D’Sylva (08) 9273 6316
vetinfo@scsa.wa.edu.au

From 2028, only Certificate IV qualifications that appear on the School Curriculum and Standards Authority’s (the Authority) specified list will be eligible to contribute unit equivalents towards WACE achievement. This change applies to all Year 12 students in 2028 and all subsequent senior secondary cohorts.

Schools allowing students to pursue a Certificate IV qualification must consider the suitability of these qualifications for Year 12 students.

Registered training organisations (RTOs) wishing to seek recognition for a Certificate IV qualification for the purpose of unit equivalence towards the WACE must submit an application form available at https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/vet/all-about-vet.

Further information about the Certificate IV WACE Refreshment is available in the Frequently asked questions (FAQs) document at https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/vet/all-about-vet.

Email all queries relating to Certificate IV qualifications to the Programs and Vocational Studies team at vetinfo@scsa.wa.edu.au.

2025 VET Awards Selection Report

Contact

Adam Smith (08) 9442 9440
Adam.Smith@scsa.wa.edu.au

The 2025 VET Awards Selection Report is available on the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) website.

The report provides valuable information for individuals who supported the nomination of students in 2025 and those who plan to do so in 2026. It presents statistics on the number of students involved in the awards selection process and detailed information on how students were selected for awards, including feedback and recommendations for teachers.

The 2025 VET Awards Selection report, the 2026 VET Awards for Outstanding Achievement Brochure andthe 2026 VET Awards Nomination Kit are available at https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/certification/exhibitions-and-awards.

Nominations for the 2026 VET Awards open on Friday, 3 July 2026 and must be submitted to the Authority through the Student Information Records System by Monday, 31 August 2026.

Final date for enrolment in year-long Year 11 courses in 2026

Contact

Perpetua Joseph (08) 9273 6771
Perpetua.Joseph@scsa.wa.edu.au

The final date for upload into the Student Information Records System (SIRS) for enrolments in year‑long Year 11 courses is Friday, 15 May 2026.

After this date, the SIRS facility will be locked and no further changes, with the exception of withdrawals from those courses, will be accepted.

From this date, Year 11 students may only be enrolled into single units for Semester 2.

All enrolment dates are provided in the 2026 Activities Schedule available at https://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/publications/activities-schedule.

Student Declaration and Permission

Contact

Kerry Tarrant (08) 9273 6770
Kerry.Tarrant@scsa.wa.edu.au

All Year 12 students, and Year 11 students sitting the 2026 ATAR course examinations, must complete the online Student Declaration and Permission.

Students are required to complete the Student Declaration and Permission when they log in to the Student portal at https://student.scsa.wa.edu.au/student-portal before they can gain access to important information, such as their course enrolments, examination timetable/s and results.

Schools should advise their Year 12 students and Year 11 students, where applicable, about the purpose of the Student Declaration and Permission and encourage them to discuss this with their parents/guardians/carers prior to completion. This information is available at https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/the-wace/student-declaration.

Schools can monitor student completion of the Student Declaration and Permission in the Student Information Records System (SIRS) by generating the report CSE058 – Student declaration and permission. Information on generating reports is available in ‘Section 13 – Reports’ of the Data Procedures Manual 2026 at https://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/publications/data-procedures-manual.

The Student Declaration and Permission must be completed by Thursday, 27 August 2026.

Minor edits to the WACE Manual 2026

Contact
Jo Merrey (08) 9273 6348
Jo.Merrey@scsa.wa.edu.au

Minor edits have been made to the WACE Manual 2026.

These edits changes include:

• the removal of the Integrated Science course from Table 10 (p. 110)
• a correction to the section header in Section 3 (pp. 45–63)
• updates relating to the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (p. 66)
• updates relating to the School‑based practical external assessment (pp. 49–50).

The WACE Manual 2026 has an updated 20/03/2026 icon on its cover and is available at https://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/publications/wace-manual.

Year 12 Information Handbook 2026, Part I

Contact

Jo Merrey (08) 9273 6348
Jo.Merrey@scsa.wa.edu.au

The Year 12 Information Handbook 2026, Part I: Information for all students is available on the School Curriculum and Standards Authority website at https://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/publications/year-12-information.

Part I is for all Year 12 students and includes information about:

• key dates
• what is involved in the WASSA and the WACE
• the Student portal and the WACE Checker
• equivalences and how they can count towards the WACE
• school‑based assessment and how it works
• examinations
• general advice on life as a Year 12 student.

The Year 12 Information Handbook, Part II provides more detail about examinations and will be available in July 2026.

Alternative Curriculum and/or Reporting on Student Achievement Recognition Process 2026

Contact

Paula Beck (08) 9273 6331
Paula.Beck@scsa.wa.edu.au

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority’s (the Authority’s) process for applying for alternative curriculum and/or reporting on student achievement recognition begins at the start of Term 2.

Schools/organisations planning to implement a curriculum different from the P–10 Western Australian Curriculum and/or a different method of reporting student achievement, as outlined in the Authority’ Pre‑primary to Year 10: Teaching, Assessing and Reporting Policy, which was updated in Term 1, 2026, must apply to the Authority to seek recognition.

In 2026, given the phased implementation of the revisions to the Western Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline (the Outline), the Authority will accept alternative curriculum submissions for these Pre‑primary to Year 10 learning areas:

• Humanities and Social Sciences
• Mathematics
• Science
• Technologies.

As Languages and The Arts are in the familiarisation phase, alternative curriculum submissions are not required in 2026.

Schools should formally advise the Authority of their intention to seek recognition of a curriculum (and/or reporting on student achievement) using the Notice of intention online application form. The link to the form will be available from the start of Term 2 and will close at 3.00 pm on Friday, 22 May 2026.

Full applications for recognition of an alternative curriculum (and/or reporting on student achievement) that aligns with the Outline must be made through the Submissions online application form. The form will include the comparative curriculum and achievement standards templates that must be completed and submitted with the form. The link to this form will be available from Monday, 8 June 2026 and will close at 3.00 pm on Friday, 7 August 2026.

Links to the Notice of intention and the Submission online application forms will be available at https://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/teaching/alternative-curriculum-recognition.

Email any questions to alternativecurriculum@scsa.wa.edu.au.

Public notice from TISC – proposed change to WA ATAR calculations

Contact

Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (08) 9318 8000
info@tisc.edu.au

The Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) has requested assistance from the School Curriculum and Standards Authority in drawing attention to its public notice of Thursday, 26 March 2026.

The public notice is available at https://www.tisc.edu.au/static/misc/news.tisc. It provides an update on the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) Board’s proposed change to calculating the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) in Western Australia.

Queries about the calculation of the ATAR in Western Australia should be directed to TISC.