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The Drama 11–12 Syllabus (2025) includes:

• reduced number of in Year 11 and 12 with all 9 outcomes included in all focus areas
• reduction from 4 to 3 Year 12 course components, allowing time for the development of the within class time
• replacement of ‘critically studying’ with ‘critically reflecting’ as a key practice
• organisation of the course into focus areas and content groups.

• replacement of ‘Studies in Drama and Theatre’ with and the reduction of 2 texts studied to one prescribed practitioner
• replacement of the discrete ‘Group Performance’ component in Year 12 with , which draws on the approaches of the prescribed practitioner studied in Approaches to drama and theatre
• removal of the mandated date for commencing development of the Ensemble performance
• changes to Individual projects
  • removal of 3 project options – Critical Analysis: Applied Research Project and Portfolio of Theatre Criticism, and Design: Lighting
  • ‘Video Drama’ replaced by ‘Short film’
  • significant changes to the specific requirements for some project options
• across Year 11 and 12 which must give students experience of
  • a range of forms, styles and conventions specific to purpose and audience
  • Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander dramatic practitioners and works
  • diverse artistic, cultural, social and personal contexts
  • live and recorded productions
• replacement of mandatory Year 12 logbook with new requirements for , including Year 12 students documenting the development of their Ensemble performance and Individual project in more flexible ways
• requirement for students to clearly cite all sources used in the development of their Ensemble performance and Individual project
• new providing holistic descriptions of overall level of achievement
• of 40 indicative hours for each of the 3 focus areas in Year 11 and Year 12
• changes to weightings for Year 11 and Year 12 course components:
  • Making 40%
  • Performing 30%
  • Critically reflecting 30%
• authority for schools to determine the number, type of task and the weighting allocated to an assessment task in Year 11 and 12
• changes to the for the written paper
  • Approaches to drama and theatre – one question worth 10 marks
  • Australian drama and theatre – one extended response question worth 20 marks and 2 questions totalling 10 marks
• changes to the submission requirements for some Individual project options
• increased logistical decision-making responsibilities of principals and teachers
• have been aligned to the Drama 11–12 Syllabus (2025) outcomes to facilitate integrated delivery.

The organisation of Drama 11–12 Syllabus image is from the @ NSW ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Standards Authority (NESA), for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2025.

Prior to implementing the Drama 11–12 Syllabus (2025), leaders will need to consider the following:

• Complexities for staff working
  • across 2 different syllabuses to teach Drama 11–12 and the complications of a staggered implementation structure (syllabus differences include structure, terminology, outcomes and content)
  • in a KLA with multiple syllabus release dates across subjects and implementation models staggered across multiple cohorts and subjects
  • without prior knowledge of the 3 content groups in the Drama 7–10 Syllabus (2023) – dramatic contexts, dramatic processes and dramatic elements – which are assessed in the new Year 11 and 12 outcomes
  • within compressed curriculum models.
• Building teacher understanding about
  • effectively planning and programming 3 course components in Year 12
  • programming for devising the Ensemble performance through the study of a prescribed practitioner in Approaches in drama and theatre
  • explicit teaching strategies to prepare students for the new response type and structure of the written examination
  • protocols for working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander content
  • changes to Individual project options and requirements.
• Developing school processes and systems for
  • effective task design, valid assessment and reporting of reduced outcomes
  • managing increased decision-making responsibilities.
• Supporting teachers’ understanding of designing an integrated program of study for teaching the interrelated practices of making, performing and critically reflecting as essential content.
• Resource and budget implications, including
  • providing support structures for staff to engage with syllabus expectations and build their skills and understanding to effectively teach and plan for syllabus requirements across 11–12 to implement in 2027
  • determining what resources are currently available to address new course prescriptions, access to live and recorded productions, elements of production, Individual project production/submission requirements (PDF, video, online, physical) and acquiring additional resources to address areas of need
  • equipment that enhances learning and supports all students to access the curriculum such as screen readers, audio-visual material and other inclusive learning tools.
• All decisions about curriculum options for students with disability should be made through the process
• The eligibility of students for a pattern of study.

The syllabus for Drama 11–12 Syllabus (2025) is based on evidence summarised in the published by NESA. The evidence base highlights that:

• creative and critical skills are built through embodied learning experiences with dramatic works and processes (Anderson & Dunn, 2013; Gardiner, 2019; Fensham & Upton, 2023) and through the use of exemplar models, guided and independent practice (Centre for ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Statistics and Evaluation, 2020; Australian ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Research Organisation, 2022; Jefferson, 2015)
• ethical understanding is developed through engagement with dramatic works and processes that allow students opportunities to reflect on and actively shape inclusive participation in social, political and cultural discourses and actions (Freebody & Finneran, 2021)
• intercultural understanding can be built through opportunities to explore representations and communications within and between cultures (Casey, 2013) and building awareness of the ways in which experience, imagination and representation in drama processes reflect and shape culture and identities (Ginther, 2023)
• personal and social capability can be built through applying and refining skills to support interpersonal, non-verbal and empathetic communication skills that can be applied to a wide range of careers and post-school pathways (Hadley, 2015; Cahill & Warwick, 2019; Landry-Wegener, Kaniecki, Gipps, Lebo, & Levine, 2023; Kelly, Nixon, Broadfoot, Hofmeister, & Dornan, 2019)
• learning about respectful protocols for the embodiment of others’ stories and lived experiences in drama support a culturally responsive approach (Hradsky & Forgasz, 2022)
• engagement with dramatic practitioners and diverse contexts develops aesthetic domain knowledge and provides students with models for their own creative work (Gardiner, 2017; Anderson 2012)
• the study of Australian drama and theatre provides meaningful ways to explore Australian identity, stories and characters (McCallum, 2009), and ways to understand social, political and economic upheavals explored by emerging playwrights and audiences (Hay & Carleton, 2023)
• students learn through creative and critical processes which recognise that meaning is produced through enacted and embodied processes, events and experiences (Allain & Harvie, 2014; Fensham & Upton, 2023; Gregorzewski, 2022)
• through engagement with the dramatic processes, students develop real world skills in negotiation, reflection and problem solving (Ritchhart, 2023) as they work collaboratively to make connections and execute a shared vision (Jefferson & Anderson, 2017)
• group-devising provides opportunities for students to explore and express stories, perspectives and ideas that are distinctly relevant to them and their communities through play and innovation (Hatton & Lovesy, 2008 and 2015)
• documenting and writing texts that describe, evaluate and critically reflect on dramatic works, processes, events and experiences supports literacy skills, cognitive processes and communication skills. (Tolisano & Hale, 2018; Ewing R, 2019; Beaumont, 2020).

© NSW ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2025.

• To what extent have teachers and principals familiarised themselves with the changes in school based assessment and understand the new logistical decision making responsibilities for this course?
• To what extent have staff familiarised themselves with the new syllabus and understand how the changes to the focus areas, course prescriptions and written examination requirements will impact their programming?
• How have change management considerations been embedded into the School Excellence Plan (SEP) to support teachers and sustain and strengthen curriculum implementation?
• What structures are in place for collaboration across school networks and tailored professional support for all staff to strengthen curriculum implementation?
• What resources are required to commence syllabus implementation and meet planning, programming, assessing, and reporting requirements?
• How has the school engaged with department resources and support for curriculum implementation, for example, Curriculum networks, new Drama 11–12 curriculum resources and professional learning, and DEL network initiatives?

• Planning, programming and assessing Creative Arts 11–12 NSW Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø
• Drama 7–10 (2023) NSW Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø
• Creative arts K–12 curriculum NSW Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø
• Cultural Protocols and practices in Creative Arts NSW Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø
• Curriculum Reform NSW Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø
• NESA
• NESA