Menu
Education
Global Search

HSIE K–12

Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024) – information for school leaders

Learn about the Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024) – what has changed and where to get further support.

The Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024) replaces content in the Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2019). Planning and preparation will commence from 2025 with implementation in 2027.

The syllabus recognises the critical importance of consumer, financial, economic, business, legal, political and work concepts issues. The syllabus also allows students to build knowledge of civics and skills for citizenship, and recognise the value of being an informed, responsible and active citizen.

The NESA Statement of Equity Principles underpin the Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024), ensuring inclusivity of every student, including Aboriginal students, students with disability, students learning English as an additional language or dialect, and high potential and gifted students.

What you need to know

  • The Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024) will be taught in all NSW high schools from 2027.
  • The department is recommending a staggered implementation for the 200-hour course to ensure continuity of learning for Years 7 to 10.
  • In a staggered implementation approach, the 200-hour Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024) will be implemented first to Years 7 and 9 (2027) and in the following year to Years 8 and 10 (2028).
  • Implement the 100-hour Commerce 7–10 (2024) course in full for 2027.
  • The Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024) is a live document available via NESA’s digital platform.
  • By emphasising real-world application skills, the new syllabus equips students to make informed decisions in consumer, financial, economic, business, legal, political, and work-related situations, preparing them for future challenges.

The Commerce 7–10 (2024) syllabus includes:

  • a streamlined structure, building on existing and familiar features of the current syllabus design, that makes clear the essential knowledge, skills and understanding for students of commerce at each stage
  • refined outcomes that increase clarity regarding the knowledge, understanding and skills students should be able to demonstrate
  • a better reflection of students' lives, providing them with practical tools and strategies to confront the challenges of contemporary society
  • teaching advice that clarifies content and supports teachers to make informed pedagogical decisions
  • outcomes and content organised under 5 core focus areas and 9 option focus areas with the introduction of two new
    • core focus areas: 'The economic environment' and 'The business environment'
    • option focus area: 'Political and community involvement'
  • the 'Thinking, researching and communicating' content group, which has been added to all focus areas and has replaced the 'Current issues' content group
  • Life Skills outcomes mapped to the Stage 5 outcomes to facilitate integrated delivery.
The 5 core focus areas of Commerce 7 to 10 appear in boxes in a row under the heading Core focus areas. From left to right they are The consumer and financial environment, The economic environment, The business environment, The legal and political environment, and The work environment. Grouped under the core focus areas, the 9 options appear in boxes. From left to right, they are Our economy, Running a business, Promoting and selling, Investing, Law in action, Political and community involvement, The travel consumer, Towards independence, and School-developed option. A line labelled Options circles the 9 focus area options and connects with the 5 core focus areas. The 5 core focus areas of Commerce 7 to 10 appear in boxes in a row under the heading Core focus areas. From left to right they are The consumer and financial environment, The economic environment, The business environment, The legal and political environment, and The work environment. Grouped under the core focus areas, the 9 options appear in boxes. From left to right, they are Our economy, Running a business, Promoting and selling, Investing, Law in action, Political and community involvement, The travel consumer, Towards independence, and School-developed option. A line labelled Options circles the 9 focus area options and connects with the 5 core focus areas.
Image: Figure 1 – the organisation of Commerce 7–10

The organisation of Commerce 7–10 image is from the Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024) © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024.

Prior to implementing the Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024), leaders will need to consider the following:

  • complexities for staff working from 2 syllabuses to teach the 200-hour Commerce 7–10 course during the staggered implementation (syllabus differences include structure, language and pedagogy)
  • complexities for staff implementing multiple HSIE syllabuses from 2027, including the History 7–10 Syllabus (2024) and the Geography 7–10 Syllabus (2024)
  • building teacher knowledge and understanding of appropriate protocols for collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities and engaging with Cultural works
  • supporting teachers’ understanding of the principles of inclusive education, adjustments and access to the HSIE curriculum for all learners
  • resource and budget implications, such as
    • providing time for staff to engage with syllabus expectations and build their skills and understanding to effectively teach and plan for syllabus requirements across 7–10 to implement in 2027
    • determining what resources are currently available to address the new framework.
  • exploring ways to adopt and adapt the sample materials provided by the department and curriculum materials developed in school to deliver the course in an engaging way that is appropriate for your school context
  • all decisions about curriculum options for a student with intellectual disability should be made through the collaborative curriculum planning process.

Prior to determining whether a student should access Life Skills outcomes and content, consider other ways of helping the student to engage with regular course outcomes:

  • This may include a range of adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment activities.
  • If the adjustments do not provide the student with sufficient access to some or all outcomes, a decision to access Life Skills outcomes and content in one or more courses might be appropriate. 
  • Some students with intellectual disability may find Years 7–10 courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content are the most appropriate options to follow for their RoSA.

The Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024) is based on evidence in the Bibliography: Commerce 7–10, which highlights that:

  • financial literacy education can enhance individuals financial decision-making skills and overall financial well-being (Blue and Brimble 2014)
  • explicit, direct instruction in teaching key subject concepts is vital for fostering understanding and preventing memorisation without comprehension (Collins 2014)
  • civics and citizenship education aims to develop informed and active Australian citizens by fostering understanding of democracy, critical examination of values, appreciation of multiculturalism, and awareness of rights and responsibilities at local to global levels (Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship).

Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024) © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024.

Knowledge of the syllabus and professional learning needs

  • To what extent do staff understand the syllabus and the evidence underpinning the new syllabus?
  • How will the new syllabus affect classroom practice? What is in place to support and evaluate this practice?

Collaborative planning and development

What explicit systems are in place to foster collaboration?

Resourcing and support

What resources are required to commence syllabus implementation and meet planning, programming, assessing, and reporting requirements?

Ongoing evaluation and refinement

How is the new syllabus being used to lift teaching practice?

Further support

Syllabus information for school leaders

An overview of the pedagogical changes and whole school considerations to support school leaders’ understanding of what has changed for each new syllabus.

Leading curriculum K–12

Advice and resources supporting leaders to facilitate effective curriculum implementation in schools.

Category:

  • Teaching and learning

Business Unit:

  • Curriculum and Reform
Return to top of page Back to top