Stage 4

In Year 7, all students participate in a new curriculum called ‘Humanities’ which delivers the skills, knowledge, and concepts of Stage 4 English, Mandatory Geography, and History through an integrated approach. This curriculum pattern is supported by contemporary educational research and had been designed by an interdisciplinary team of teachers at the school who specialise in Integrated Curriculum. Students will be undertaking Humanities lessons over fourteen periods across a two-week cycle for the duration of the year. These classes will be in lieu of standalone Stage 4 English, Mandatory Geography, and Mandatory History classes.

Integrated Curriculum classes are specifically designed to enhance and promote the 21st-century skills of students and prepare them to be successful citizens in an ever-changing world. Throughout these classes, students work collaboratively to solve real-world problems and complete projects where they are supported yet challenged by teachers.

Students in Year 8 will participate in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Integrated Curriculum programs. These classes are specifically designed to enhance and promote the 21st-century skills of students and prepare them to be successful citizens in an ever-changing world. Throughout the classes, students work collaboratively to solve real-world problems and complete projects where they are supported yet challenged by teachers. For one semester, students will participate in the STEM program, and in the other semester, they will participate in Integrated Curriculum units of work. Each of these courses will run for three periods per cycle.

At Macarthur Girls High School, we pride ourselves on the caring educational community we offer Stage 4 students to support their learning. We embrace collaborative and active participation which builds a purposeful, rich environment for personal excellence in student learning and student achievement underpinned by a holistic wellbeing structure. Stage 4 students engage with a Year 7 & 8  PRIDE wellbeing teaching and learning program that covers the topics of achieving, believing, confidence, diversity, goals, explore, family and friendship, and harmony. These structured programs are designed to meet the specific wellbeing and learning needs of students in Stage 4.  

In Stage 4, we offer elected students leadership opportunities across the school in the Student Representative Council (SRC) and Sports Council (SPC). An additional leadership opportunity is the MGHS PRIDE leaders, who are two elected students from each roll call group. A PRIDE leader’s role is to support PRIDE teachers in the delivery of Wellbeing programs. The Year Advisor works with, and coordinates, PRIDE leaders, providing them with opportunities to design and implement teaching and learning lessons that they deliver to peers whilst being supported and aided by the PRIDE teachers.  

Year 7

• Humanities curriculum
• Targeted PRIDE program
• NAPLAN
• Best Start

Year 8

• Integrated curriculum
• Targeted PRIDE program
• Subject selection process (electives for Year 9)
• STEM curriculum
• Supporting High Achievers Initiative

Key personnel