COURSE GUIDE 2026

Aboriginal Education
Parafield Gardens High School supports Aboriginal students from Years 7 to 12. Our Aboriginal Education team includes three Aboriginal Secondary Education Transition Officers (ASETOs), an Aboriginal Education Senior Leader and an Aboriginal Education Coordinator.

Celebrating Culture
Each year, we recognise and celebrate important events such as Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week. These events provide valuable opportunities to share Aboriginal histories, cultures and perspectives with the whole school community.

Community Partnerships
We work closely with external organisations to support students, families and staff, helping to remove barriers to education and promote successful outcomes. The Aboriginal Education Room is open each morning from 8:00am to 8:30am for families to meet with the Aboriginal Education team and discuss student learning, wellbeing or any concerns.
Parafield Gardens High School also works with organisations such as the Workabout Centre, which supports students to gain qualifications and employment, and The Wyatt Trust, which may provide financial assistance. Families experiencing difficulties are encouraged to contact a member of the Aboriginal Education team.

SAASTA
The South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy (SAASTA) offers young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students engaging learning and personal development opportunities.
SAASTA is a key part of the Department for Education’s 10-year Aboriginal Education Strategy and aims to improve outcomes for Aboriginal students and families. The program builds on school-based learning by providing opportunities for personal growth, cultural connection and leadership.
SAASTA students are encouraged to aim high and set strong expectations for themselves and their peers, particularly in attendance, participation, achievement and behaviour.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Years 10, 11 and 12 who are studying the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) can apply to join SAASTA.
Year 10 students can gain up to 20 SACE credits through Stage 1 Integrated Learning and Stage 1 Aboriginal Studies.

Year 11 and 12 students can gain a maximum of 20 SACE credits studying Stage 2 Integrated Learning, Stage 2 Health and Wellbeing or Stage 2 Aboriginal Studies, which are offered on a rotating cycle.

** Please note that students can only undertake one Stage 2 Integrated Learning subject towards an ATAR pattern. It is important to check Year 12 subject patterns to ensure there are no preculsions towards achieving an ATAR.

Academy students can expect:

• To be led by quality and engaging teaching staff and mentors.
• Their own academy room, providing a space for academy classes and activities.
• A complete academy uniform, senior’s jumper and playing gear for sports competitions and carnivals.
• Individual support and mentoring.
• Cultural inclusiveness and connectedness.
• To learn leadership skills.
• To increase self-confidence and resilience.
• To be ready for employment or further education.
• To be heard.
• A fee-free place in the program.

PGHS has dedicated arts spaces to enable students to learn in purpose built environments. The Performing Arts facility includes a state of the art theatre, music classroom and practice rooms, a dance theatre and second dance teaching space. Visual art, Visual design, Creative Arts and Media art teaching areas are in an open space environment with access to practical spaces and computer labs.
Our curriculum is based on the South Australian Curriculum and SACE with an emphasis on developing capabilities and dispositions. Learners develop skills in various arts forms and present their work using individual creative expressions. There are many opportunities to create work for a purpose, perform publicly and exhibit learner artwork.

The Arts spark imagination and curiosity, providing learners opportunities for self-expression and inspiring them to think, act and communicate creatively. All arts subjects prepare learners for the 21st century with transferable skills, critical and creative thinking, problem solving, teamwork and collaboration skills and the confidence to express themselves.

PGHS has dedicated arts spaces to enable students to learn in purpose built environments. The Performing Arts facility includes a state of the art theatre, music classroom and practice rooms, a dance theatre and second dance teaching space. Visual art, Visual design, Creative Arts and Media art teaching areas are in an open space environment with access to practical spaces and computer labs.
Our curriculum is based on the South Australian Curriculum and SACE with an emphasis on developing capabilities and dispositions. Learners develop skills in various arts forms and present their work using individual creative expressions. There are many opportunities to create work for a purpose, perform publicly and exhibit learner artwork.

The Arts spark imagination and curiosity, providing learners opportunities for self-expression and inspiring them to think, act and communicate creatively. All arts subjects prepare learners for the 21st century with transferable skills, critical and creative thinking, problem solving, teamwork and collaboration skills and the confidence to express themselves.

PGHS has dedicated arts spaces to enable students to learn in purpose built environments. The Performing Arts facility includes a state of the art theatre, music classroom and practice rooms, a dance theatre and second dance teaching space. Visual art, Visual design, Creative Arts and Media art teaching areas are in an open space environment with access to practical spaces and computer labs.
Our curriculum is based on the South Australian Curriculum and SACE with an emphasis on developing capabilities and dispositions. Learners develop skills in various arts forms and present their work using individual creative expressions. There are many opportunities to create work for a purpose, perform publicly and exhibit learner artwork.

The Arts spark imagination and curiosity, providing learners opportunities for self-expression and inspiring them to think, act and communicate creatively. All arts subjects prepare learners for the 21st century with transferable skills, critical and creative thinking, problem solving, teamwork and collaboration skills and the confidence to express themselves.

PGHS has dedicated arts spaces to enable students to learn in purpose built environments. The Performing Arts facility includes a state of the art theatre, music classroom and practice rooms, a dance theatre and second dance teaching space. Visual art, Visual design, Creative Arts and Media art teaching areas are in an open space environment with access to practical spaces and computer labs.
Our curriculum is based on the South Australian Curriculum and SACE with an emphasis on developing capabilities and dispositions. Learners develop skills in various arts forms and present their work using individual creative expressions. There are many opportunities to create work for a purpose, perform publicly and exhibit learner artwork.

The Arts spark imagination and curiosity, providing learners opportunities for self-expression and inspiring them to think, act and communicate creatively. All arts subjects prepare learners for the 21st century with transferable skills, critical and creative thinking, problem solving, teamwork and collaboration skills and the confidence to express themselves.

The study of English enables students at Parafield Gardens High School to develop skills in literacy, critical thinking, communication, analysis and evaluation.

Student literacy capabilities are crucial to their success in all facets of school and working life, and students develop this skill throughout their English studies.

From Years 7 to 10, our students are exposed to a wide range of texts and consider the interrelationships between text, context, audience, and purpose from a range of different perspectives. Students are provided opportunities to reflect, respond and create oral, written and multimodal texts in a range of genres. These skills enable students to better understand and critically evaluate their own values and the constantly evolving world around them. In Year 11, students beginning their SACE select their preferences in English pathways: Essential, Industry or General. In Year 12, there is also an option to study English in Community Life which explores Community Connections with a ‘Literacy for Life beyond school’ approach.

Essential English focuses on building student capacity to respond and communicate effectively in school and life beyond. Industry English prepares them for communication and literacy in the workplace or in vocational education. English provides students with opportunities to analyse the interrelationships within and between texts and examine the language and stylistic features used by authors for a diverse range of purposes and prepares them for further study of English at University.

English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) supports students who speak a language other than Standard Australian English at home. The EALD program aims to increase students’ English proficiency, as measured by the Learning English Achievement and Proficiency (LEAP) Levels. Students may undertake this subject from year 7 through to Stage 2. At SACE level, the subject is called English as an Additional Language (EAL) and students must meet eligibility requirements to enrol.

In EALD lessons, students develop the skills to comprehend and analyse a wide range of texts. They are provided with supported opportunities to create written, oral and multimodal texts for different purposes and contexts. Students are supported to learn and use more academic vocabulary, to use a range of sentence structures and cohesive devices, and to participate confidently in class and group discussions. The skills developed in EALD will support students with their learning across all subject areas.

The Health and Physical Education curriculum consists of strands, sub strands, threads, focus areas and the 5 propositions (educative purpose, strength based approach, value movement, health literacy and critical inquiry).

These elements are designed to be integrated throughout learning.

The essence of Health and Physical Education is to provide opportunities for students to: Develop skills, knowledge, and understanding to strengthen their sense of self, and build and manage satisfying, respectful relationships.

Build on personal and community strengths and assets to enhance safety and wellbeing develop the capacity to learn to critique and challenge assumptions and stereotypes and navigate a range of health-related sources, services and organisations.

Acquire movement skills and concepts to enable participation in a range of physical activities confidently, competently and creatively.

Practise and refine personal, behavioural, social and cognitive skills in movement settings develop a foundation for lifelong physical activity participation.

Enhance performance and acquire an understanding of how the body moves.

Develop positive attitudes towards physical activity participation.

Develop an appreciation of the significance of physical activity, outdoor recreation and sport in Australian society and globally.

Health and Physical Education provides students with an experiential curriculum that is contemporary, relevant, challenging and physically active.

At Parafield Gardens High School our Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum is focused on the study of human behaviour and interaction in social, cultural, environmental, economic and political contexts.

We focus on developing essential skills through the investigation of a wide range of phenomena, using argument and reasoning to ensure students become both critical and creative thinkers. Our curriculum is divided into four core subjects from years 7-9 focusing on History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship and Business and Economics. In year 10 students will study a semester of History as well as the compulsory Exploring Identities and Futures.

Mathematics is central to numeracy, which is the ability to understand, critically respond to and use mathematical skills and concepts in different social, cultural and work contexts. This includes understanding how Mathematics can be used in other Learning Areas and developing the ability to connect learning to ‘real world’ scenarios. Parafield Gardens High School will support our students in becoming confident users of Mathematics, who will choose appropriate and accurate means for exploring and understanding the world around them.

Parafield Gardens High School offers a wide range of subjects in Mathematics. From years 7 to 9, students will have mixed Mathematics classes. In years 10-12, students will be supported to decide on the level of Mathematics they study based on their future pathway aspirations.

In years 7-10, our curriculum is driven by the South Australian Curriculum, where students will develop their understanding, problem-solving, reasoning, analysis and fluency in a wide range of topics.

In years 11-12, SACE mathematics subjects will help to develop a range of important skills that are highly valued both in further study and in the workplace. These include:

– Mathematical reasoning and problem solving.
– Application of mathematical concepts.
– Critical and creative thinking.
– Using technology.
– Communication.
– Collaboration and initiative.
– Investigation and inquiry.

Curriculum enrichment opportunities include the Australian Mathematics Competition, the NASSSA Maths Olympics, and various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs.

Students are delivered an engaging curriculum by passionate teachers who have high standards and expectations using the latest technology including the online learning platform, Google Classroom for 24/7 learning. There is a key focus on inquiry-based learning promoting collaboration, constructive feedback and making links to innovations in Science and STEM. All major fields are offered to Year 12 including Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Psychology and Forensic Science is also offered in Year 11 for a semester. In Year 12 there is a Health Care course offered which prepares students with skills that will be useful for a future career in any health care pathway. Students are mentored by industry professionals from a range of roles (nursing, medicine, midwifery, allied health) and undertake hands-on experiences at hospitals and university simulation laboratories.

Our STEM facilities showcase excellent resources and technology for teaching and learning, using a future-focused approach. This enables our specialist Science teachers to demonstrate best practice to build powerful learners who have strong problem solving skills to prepare them for an ever-changing, technologically evolving world.

This includes a strong focus on:

– Increasing links with current research and innovations in Science and STEM. Deconstructing and designing investigations and experiments.
– Being exposed to and having the opportunity to use new and current technologies through online learning environments and collaborative teams.
– Improving literacy and numeracy skills to support the development of students as ‘citizen scientists’.
– Developing critical and creative thinking skills to solve real and local problems.

STEM Science Highlights:

– STEM sista and STEM mista programs for future careers.
– Year 9 Girls in STEM in collaboration with SA Universities.
– Year 10 Pre-SACE course.
– STEM Club.
– National Science Week.
– STEM scholarship recipient program (Years 11-12)
– Inspiring the Futures Excursions and STEM Expo.
– NASSSA Science Olympiad
– Stage 2 Healthcare program in collaboration with NALHN

Design. Create. Innovate.

Areas of Learning

• Design and Manufacturing – wood, metal, electronics, CAD and product design.
• Digital Technologies – programming, game design, robotics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
• Food Technology and Hospitality – practical cooking, food preparation and hospitality.

The Technologies faculty provides students with opportunities to design, create and solve real world problems. Through subjects in Design and Technologies, Digital Technologies and Food Technology, students develop practical skills, creativity and confidence while working with modern tools, resources, materials and technologies.

Students learn in specialised learning spaces including workshops, digital technology laboratories. They design and build projects using materials such as wood and metal, develop skills in manufacturing, electronics and digital systems, and explore areas such as programming, game design and emerging technologies.

Food Technology provides four fully equipped kitchens allowing students to develop practical cooking skills while learning about nutrition, food preparation and kitchen safety.

Across Technologies subjects, students may also develop skills and explore SACE completion through vocational pathways including areas such as cookery, bakery, engineering, construction, plumbing, electrotechnology, screen & media and information technology.

Design. Create. Innovate.

Areas of Learning

• Design and Manufacturing – wood, metal, electronics, CAD and product design.
• Digital Technologies – programming, game design, robotics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
• Food Technology and Hospitality – practical cooking, food preparation and hospitality.

The Technologies faculty provides students with opportunities to design, create and solve real world problems. Through subjects in Design and Technologies, Digital Technologies and Food Technology, students develop practical skills, creativity and confidence while working with modern tools, resources, materials and technologies.

Students learn in specialised learning spaces including workshops, digital technology laboratories. They design and build projects using materials such as wood and metal, develop skills in manufacturing, electronics and digital systems, and explore areas such as programming, game design and emerging technologies.

Food Technology provides four fully equipped kitchens allowing students to develop practical cooking skills while learning about nutrition, food preparation and kitchen safety.

Across Technologies subjects, students may also develop skills and explore SACE completion through vocational pathways including areas such as cookery, bakery, engineering, construction, plumbing, electrotechnology, screen & media and information technology.