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Modern History Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024) – information for school leaders

Learn about the Modern History Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024) – what has changed and where to get further support.

The Modern History Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024) replaces content in the Modern History Life Skills Stage 6 Syllabus (2017). Planning and preparation will commence from 2025 with implementation in 2027.

This syllabus recognises the critical importance of providing equitable curriculum access for students with intellectual disability, including the essential role of collaborative curriculum planning.

The syllabus aligns with the Modern History 11–12 Syllabus (2024) to provide opportunities for integrated delivery.

The NESA Statement of Equity Principles underpin the Modern History 11–12 Syllabus (2024), ensuring that students from diverse cultural, linguistic, social, economic, geographic and family backgrounds are challenged and engaged to maximise their individual talents and capabilities.

What you need to know

  • The Modern History Life Skills Syllabus (2024) will be taught in all NSW high schools from 2027 and assessed in Year 12 from 2028.
  • Staggered implementation of Year 11 in Term 1, 2027 followed by Year 12 in Term 4, 2027 will ensure conformity with HSC course and assessment requirements.
  • The Modern History Life Skills Syllabus (2024) is a live document available via NESA’s digital platform.
    • NESA will continue to add teaching advice and support materials throughout the implementation process.
  • Flexibility to select outcomes to meet the needs of individual students remains a central element of the syllabus.
  • Opportunity to connect student learning to their real-world context is provided throughout the content.
  • Students may participate in an Historical investigation, which can be undertaken collaboratively or independently.
  • There is no requirement for formal assessment of Life Skills outcomes, however, evidence of student achievement can be acquired through formative or summative assessment.
  • The NSW Department of Education will be providing support materials to schools to assist and guide the implementation process.

The Modern History 11–12 Life Skills Syllabus (2024) includes:

  • the requirement that students demonstrate achievement of one or more of the Modern History Life Skills 11–12 outcomes
  • outcomes with improved clarity regarding the knowledge, understanding and skills that students should be able to demonstrate to achieve the outcome
  • outcomes that have been mapped to the Modern History 11–12 Syllabus (2024) outcomes to facilitate integrated delivery
  • flexibility for teachers to select, group and sequence outcomes and content to meet the needs of their students
  • historical concepts and skills that are no longer aligned to specific outcomes to allow more flexible integration throughout the course.
A list of historical concepts and historical skills sits in the middle of the diagram, each surrounded by a box. Historical concepts are Causation Continuity and change Perspectives Significance and Contestability. Historical skills are Time and chronology Analysis and use of sources Historical interpretation Historical investigation and research and Explanation and communication. Surrounding these lists are the focus areas of Investigating modern history The shaping of the modern world Historical investigation Democracy and dictatorship 1919-1939 National studies Peace and conflict and Change in the modern world. A list of historical concepts and historical skills sits in the middle of the diagram, each surrounded by a box. Historical concepts are Causation Continuity and change Perspectives Significance and Contestability. Historical skills are Time and chronology Analysis and use of sources Historical interpretation Historical investigation and research and Explanation and communication. Surrounding these lists are the focus areas of Investigating modern history The shaping of the modern world Historical investigation Democracy and dictatorship 1919-1939 National studies Peace and conflict and Change in the modern world.
Image: Figure 1: the organisation of Modern History Life Skills 11–12

The organisation of Modern History Life Skills (2024) image is from the Modern History Life Skills 11–12 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 Modern History Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024), leaders will need to consider the following:

  • whether the course will be integrated with Modern History 11–12, separately or through a combination of both, considering student needs, school structure and logistical requirements
  • presence of potentially controversial historical content within the syllabus
  • resource and budget implications, such as
    • providing time for staff to engage with syllabus expectations, build their skills and plan for syllabus requirements across 11–12 to implement in 2027
    • purchasing texts for teacher professional learning
    • equipment that enhances learning and supports all students to access the curriculum such as audio books, screen readers, mini whiteboards and whiteboard markers for each student.
  • exploring ways to adopt and adapt the sample materials provided by the department and curriculum materials developed in school to support consistency of syllabus enactment.
  • complexities for staff working to implement multiple new syllabuses and curriculum.  

The syllabus for Modern History Life Skills 11–12 (2024) is based on evidence referenced in the Bibliography: History 11–12 highlighting that:

  • historical thinking is a disciplined form of engagement with the past that supports students to interpret the present and develop an informed approach to citizenship
  • integrating historical knowledge, understanding and skills is important to the learning of history
  • engagement with historical evidence including sources is central to the examination of the past
  • explicit teaching of historical skills and concepts supports students to undertake meaningful historical inquiry
  • the disciplinary expertise of the teacher is a significant factor in student achievement.

Modern History Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024) © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024.

  • 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?
  • What school practices and systems are in place to support teacher professional learning?
    • How are these evaluated to maximise support for teachers?
  • How has the school engaged with departmental resources and support for curriculum implementation, for example, Curriculum Reform Communities, curriculum resources, professional learning, and DEL network initiatives?
  • How are teachers with disciplinary expertise identified and used to build the teaching knowledge and capacity of colleagues?
  • How have change management considerations been embedded into the School Excellence Plan (SEP) to support teachers and sustain and strengthen curriculum implementation?
  • What structures are in place for tailored professional support for all staff to strengthen curriculum implementation?
    • What else might be required specific to the Life Skills syllabus?
  • What resources are required to commence syllabus implementation and meet planning, programming, assessing, and reporting requirements?

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
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