Find out more about what your child will learn at our school.
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is responsible for the curriculum, Kindergarten to Year 12, for all NSW schools.
For the high school years, NESA develops syllabuses for all subjects in 8 key learning areas:
- creative arts
- English
- human society and its environment (HSIE)
- languages
- mathematics
- personal development, health and physical education (PDHPE)
- science
- technological and applied studies (TAS).
NSW schools also offer special religious education and special education in ethics via approved providers, where available.
Like all NSW schools, we have developed teaching and learning programs to suit our local context and the needs of our students.
To learn more about the curriculum in NSW, visit:
- NSW Department of Education – key learning areas
- NESA’s Parent Guide – Schooling in NSW which provides information about learning stages, key learning areas and syllabuses
- NSW Department of Education policy – Curriculum planning and programming, assessing and reporting to parents K–12.
Stages of learning
There are 6 stages of learning from Kindergarten to Year 12. High school covers Stages 4 to 6.
- Stage 4 includes Years 7 and 8.
- Stage 5 includes Years 9 and 10.
- Stage 6 includes Years 11 and 12.
Learning at Marsden High School
Marsden High School attracts students who are curious, imaginative and who enjoy learning. There is an emphasis on critical and creative thinking. We promote an environment that encourages and motivates students to be successful inside and outside the classroom. We offer a broad curriculum to cater for the diverse needs of the students at our school, including academic and vocational educational subjects. Students are given a voice in electing which subjects are offered. Their choices are valued and catered to by expert teaching staff across the diversity of disciplines.
Students engage with a wide range of enriching excursions and extra-curricula activities, including international and interstate tours. Marsden pioneers innovative and challenging extension classes, such as Big History, the Galileo Project and Robotics. These opportunities extend students outside of the traditional classroom. Students are encouraged to enter competitions in all key learning areas, e.g., art competitions.
At Marsden High School we nurture well-rounded students, who participate in all areas of school life, including academic, sporting, cultural, social and community activities. Our teaching and learning programs, combined with student involvement in whole school activities, enable students to develop twenty-first century skills to promote leadership, responsible citizenship and individual excellence.