The Arts

Timeline_The Arts

The Australian Curriculum: The Arts includes five Art subjects. These are Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music and Visual Arts. The curriculum entitles all Australian students to engage with these five Arts subjects throughout primary school with opportunities for students to specialise in one or more Arts subjects from the beginning of secondary school. Many schools already offer all five Arts subjects. States and territories that already offer more than one Arts subjects at the beginning of secondary school will continue to do so.

Validation of Achievement Standards

Validation of the F-10 Australian Curriculum: The Arts achievement standards commenced on 11 February 2013. The purpose of validation is to ensure that the achievement standards provide a clear progression of achievement across each band of learning. As part of this process, ACARA hosts workshops with teachers and curriculum experts from across the country to critique and provide feedback about the pitch, progression and clarity of the achievement standards. The revised curriculum prepared for the validation of achievement standards is available for viewing on the ACARA website (from 25 February). This is draft work in progress, not a formal consultation document. Additional refinements are proceeding in response to feedback from participants in the validation process.

In late March 2013 the final F-10 Australian Curriculum: The Arts will be presented to the ACARA Board for approval. Subject to endorsement by Ministers of Education in May 2013 the curriculum will. be published on the Australian Curriculum website in mid-2013.

Writing of the Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum

The draft Australian Curriculum: The Arts Foundation to Year 10 was developed from October 2011 – June 2012. This was developed with significant input from teachers, academics, professional teachers’ associations, education authorities and the Arts industry and community. Teachers, students, parents, arts educators, the arts industry and community provided valuable feedback during the consultation process that closed on 25 September 2012.

Click here to view the Draft Australian Curriculum: The Arts Foundation to Year 10

Shaping of the Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum

The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: the Arts was developed in 2009 – 10. It sets the broad direction for the writing of the Australian Curriculum for the Arts. This has been developed with significant input from teachers, academics, professional teachers’ associations, education authorities and the Arts industry and community.

Shape of the Australian Curriculum: the Arts

The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: the Arts sets the broad direction for the writing of the Australian Curriculum for the Arts. This has been developed with significant input from teachers, academics, professional teachers’ associations, education authorities and the Arts industry and community.

Click here to view the bibliography for the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts

Consultation Feedback Report on the draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: the Arts

Consultation on the draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: the Arts was held between October 2010 and January 2011. ACARA received over 1600 responses nationally to the online questionnaire and 166 written submissions. The final report is now available.

Click here to view the Arts Consultation Report

Draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: the Arts

The draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: the Arts was developed in 2010. Significant consultation occurred across Australia. The comments, suggestions and findings of the consultation informed the final Shape of the Australia Curriculum: the Arts.

The Arts initial advice paper

Following the position paper, ACARA appointed Professor John O’Toole, as the lead writer for the development of the Shape Paper for the Arts. With the assistance of an advisory group, and discipline contributors for each art form (dance, drama, media arts, music and visual arts) Professor O’Toole drafted the initial Advice Paper, which was examined at a national forum on 3 May 2010. The national forum included over 180 experts, teachers and stakeholders across the education and Arts communities.

Advisory Panel Members for the shaping phase of the Australian Curriculum for the Arts

The advisory panel for the shaping phase offered advice about the development of the Australian Curriculum for the Arts. The advisory panel included academics, school leaders, teachers, members of professional associations and curriculum experts from across Australia.

View the composition of the Arts advisory group here.

The Arts position paper

The development of the Australian Curriculum for the Arts began with a position paper in relation to key matters, including the definition of the Arts, the organisation of the curriculum, the structure of the curriculum for the senior courses and the Arts' relationship to other learning areas and subjects.

In developing the position paper for the Arts curriculum, ACARA was assisted by a reference group composed of teachers, school leaders, academics and curriculum experts.

View the composition of the first Arts reference group.