All schools including Sydney Catholic Schools follow the same Kindergarten to Year 12 curriculum, with our Catholic values underpinning everything that we do.
With a focus on the development of the whole person, courses offered at the school cover the NESA syllabus requirements – developing the core skills of literacy and numeracy – and our Archdiocesan Religious Education curriculum.
Our teachers extend and challenge students to be the best they can be, while recognising that every student is unique and learns differently.
From 2021 a number of Stage 5 (Year 9 and 10) courses are being offered for the first time at Southern Cross Catholic College Burwood. All courses are 100 hour courses and run for one year. Students who complete a Stage 5 course in Year 9 will have the choice in Year 10 to complete:
- an additional Stage 5 course OR
- undertake early commencement Stage 6
These Certificate I courses are an excellent introduction to future careers and provide a great pathway for students looking to complete further training and qualifications at Certificate II and Certificate III levels.
The college offers five Certificate I courses:
Southern Cross Catholic College Burwood is a specialist school in the Performing Arts. Admission into the Performing Arts stream is by interview and audition.
Study in the Creative and Performing Arts provides students with strong discipline based knowledge and the fundamental skills, creative expertise, learning mindset and critical capabilities for the future world of work. Creative and Performing Arts students experience and develop the complex skills required to create and test ideas, generate creative works with confidence, shape inquiry and critically evaluate and reflect on what they do. Study in the Creative and Performing Arts prepares students to be significant producers and informed consumers of culture.
The college offers three creative and performing arts elective courses in Years 9-10:
- Drama
- Music
- Dance
Religious Education is at the heart of Catholic education. It informs all aspects of school life and supports the evangelising and catechising mission of the Catholic Church. Through Religious Education, young people come to know and love the person of Jesus Christ.
Students in Years 9-12 are invited into a deeper and more intimate relationship with God through their exploration of the Scriptures, their participation in personal and communal prayer and their living out of Catholic social and moral teaching.
The secondary RE curriculum provides opportunities for young people to ‘see, judge and act’ in response to Jesus’ great commandment to love God and love others and thus, ‘live life to the full’.
The study of English in Years 9–10 aims to develop students’ knowledge, understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the English language and to develop their skills as effective communicators.
Students develop their control of language by reading and viewing a range of texts and by writing imaginative, interpretive and critical texts with clarity and accuracy for a range of purposes and audiences. Students engage with and explore literature of past and contemporary societies, as well as a range of spoken, visual, media and multimedia texts.
The Sydney Catholic Schools Statement on Literacy provides further elaboration on the principles of literacy and various roles within and across our schools.
The Mathematics syllabus provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in mathematics and working mathematically. Students have the opportunity to develop increasingly sophisticated and refined mathematical understanding, fluency, communication, reasoning, analytical thought and problem-solving skills. These capabilities enable students to respond to familiar and unfamiliar situations by employing strategies to make informed decisions and solve problems relevant to their present and future needs.
Through the study of Science students learn about our biological, chemical, geological, physical and technological world. They actively develop skills in planning and conducting investigations, recording and analysing data and problem solving. Students explore real world phenomena and develop solutions to authentic problems.
Human Society and its Environment is the study of how humans interact with the world, how society operates and how it is changing. Through the study of HSIE, students develop the skills to prepare them to actively and responsibly participate as informed citizens in the contemporary world.
Through the study of Personal Development, Health and Physical Education courses, students develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes needed to take action to protect and enhance their own and others’ health, safety and wellbeing in varied and changing contexts. Physical education is fundamental to the acquisition of movement skills and concepts to enable students to participate in a range of physical activities – confidently, competently and creatively.
Through the study of technology courses, students engage in a diverse range of practical experiences and develop knowledge and understanding of contemporary and advancing technologies. They develop solutions to identify problems and situations, and explore the impact of technologies on the individual, society and the environment.
