English study is mandatory in NSW from Kindergarten to Year 12.
Language and text shape our understanding of ourselves and our world. This allows us to relate with others, and contributes to our intellectual, social and emotional development. In English K–10, students study language in its various textual forms, which develop in complexity, to understand how meaning is shaped, conveyed, interpreted, and reflected.
Students engage with literature from Australia, including the rich voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and from across the world. These texts communicate in distinctive ways and are shaped by lived experiences, knowledge, cultures, and connections. By exploring historic and contemporary texts, representative of a range of cultural and social perspectives, students broaden their experiences and become empowered to express their identities, personal values and ethics.
Students develop foundational literacy skills in the early years and progressively build on these skills. This enables them to learn about and control language in a range of increasingly sophisticated contexts.
Through interrelated practices and experiences in understanding and creating texts, students learn about the power, purpose, value and art of English. The development of these interconnected skills and understandings supports students to become confident communicators, critical and imaginative thinkers, and informed and active participants in society.