11–12Aboriginal Studies Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2026)

Some students with intellectual disability may find Years 11–12 Life Skills outcomes and content the most appropriate option to follow in Stage 6. Before deciding that a student should undertake a course based on Life Skills outcomes and content, consideration should be given to other ways of assisting the student to engage with the outcomes of the equivalent Stage 6 course. Students with disability can access syllabus outcomes and content in a range of ways, including through a range of adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment activities. Decisions regarding curriculum options should be made in the context of collaborative curriculum planning.

Life Skills outcomes cannot be taught in combination with other outcomes from the equivalent Stage 6 course. Teachers select specific Life Skills outcomes to teach based on the needs, strengths, goals, interests and prior learning of each student. Students are required to demonstrate achievement of one or more Life Skills outcomes. Students may access or demonstrate learning in a range of ways, including using aspects of their home languages and dialects, or using their preferred communication form(s).

The Aboriginal Studies Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus aligns with the Aboriginal Studies 11–12 Syllabus to provide opportunities for integrated delivery.

The organisation of the Aboriginal Studies Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus illustrates the central role of Aboriginal Community Cultural protocols and ethical research practices to the development of students’ knowledge, understanding and skills. Students’ engagement with Aboriginal Community Cultural protocols and ethical research practices underpins their learning of Aboriginal Peoples’ connection to Country, Aboriginal Peoples’ Cultural Knowledges, Practices and Languages, Experiences of the international Indigenous Community, Human rights, Social justice and Aboriginal Peoples’ connections to land, water and sky Country. Students can apply the protocols and practices as they participate in an Aboriginal Community engagement research project.

Figure 1 shows the organisation of Aboriginal Studies Life Skills 11–12.

Image long description:  The text ‘Aboriginal Community Cultural protocols and ethical research practices’ sits in an ochre-coloured box at the centre of the focus areas, with a dotted line running horizontally through it. The 7 focus areas are arranged in a circular formation connected by a line. Above the dotted line are the 3 focus areas labelled ‘Pre-contact to 1960’. From left to right these are: Aboriginal Peoples’ connection to Country, Aboriginal Peoples’ Cultural Knowledges, Practices and Languages and Experiences of the international Indigenous Community: comparative study. Below the dotted line are the 4 focus areas labelled ‘1960 to present’. They continue in the same circular direction and are Human rights, Social justice: comparative study, Aboriginal Peoples' connections to land, water and sky Country, and Aboriginal Community engagement research project.

NESA is committed to working in partnership with Aboriginal Communities and supporting teachers, schools and schooling sectors to improve educational outcomes for young people.

It is important to respect appropriate ways of interacting with Aboriginal Communities and Cultural material when teachers plan, program and implement learning experiences that focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Priorities.

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) protocols need to be followed. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ICIP protocols include Cultural Knowledges, Cultural Expression and Cultural Property and documentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ identities and lived experiences. It is important to recognise the diversity and complexity of different Cultural groups in NSW, as protocols may differ between local Aboriginal Communities.

Teachers should work in partnership with Elders, parents, Community members, Cultural Knowledge Holders, or a local, regional or state Aboriginal Education Consultative Group. It is important to respect Elders and the roles of men and women. Local Aboriginal Peoples should be invited to share their Cultural Knowledges with students and staff when engaging with Aboriginal histories and Cultural Practices