What Territory schools teach, in plain English.

Good news if you like things simple. Every school in the Territory, government, Catholic or independent, teaches the national Australian Curriculum.^[1] There's no separate NT version to learn about. If you know what Year 4 looks like in the Australian Curriculum, you know what Year 4 looks like in Darwin, Tennant Creek or Nhulunbuy.

The NT Board of Studies oversees curriculum, assessment and reporting across the Territory.^[1] It decides how and when new versions of the national curriculum come in.

When Version 9 arrived

ACARA released Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum in 2022. The NT brought it in subject by subject. English and maths went first, due by 2025, with the other learning areas following by 2026.^[1] By mid-2024 the Board of Studies was already reporting strong take-up of Version 9 across government, Catholic and independent schools.^[2]

So for a child in Years 3 to 7 today, English and maths at school are Version 9. That's the version Study Compass is mapped to.

What changed in Version 9

For families, three changes are worth knowing about:

• Less, but deeper. ACARA trimmed the number of content descriptions so teachers have time to go further with fewer ideas.
• Clearer early number and reading. Phonics, number facts and mental strategies are spelt out more plainly in the early years.
• Some topics moved year. A few maths ideas now sit a year earlier or later than they did. If an older sibling learnt something in Year 6, the younger one might meet it in Year 5.

How to read a curriculum code

You'll spot codes on worksheets, unit overviews and our lessons. Each one tells you the subject, year and strand. Take AC9M4N06:

Maths has six strands: Number (N), Algebra (A), Measurement (M), Space (SP), Statistics (ST) and Probability (P).^[5] English has three: Language (LA), Literature (LE) and Literacy (LY).^[6]

Reading a Territory school report

NT government schools report to families at least twice a year, at the end of each semester.^[3] English and maths get an A to E grade every semester. Other subjects get one at least once a year, and each subject also carries an effort rating.^[4]

The grade that worries parents most is the one that shouldn't: C. A C means your child is meeting the standard for their year. A and B are above it. D and E point to gaps, and that's the time to book a chat with the teacher rather than wait for the next report.

The effort rating is worth reading too. A C with high effort and a C with low effort are two quite different conversations.

Where NAPLAN fits

NAPLAN sits alongside the curriculum, not inside it. It's a national test in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Our guide to NAPLAN in the NT covers what to expect.

Moving to or from the Territory

Lots of Territory families move interstate and back, often with Defence or work. Queensland, South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania teach Version 9 much as the NT does, so the move is usually smooth. Victoria and New South Wales adapt the national curriculum more heavily, so coming from either, expect a topic or two to be repeated or skipped in the first term.