Planning

The WA Maths Curriculum is changing, but not in the way many teachers initially worry about. The core mathematical concepts students learn remain familiar. What has changed is the clarity of the wording, the organisation of content, and the way mathematical thinking is emphasised across year levels.

If you’re looking for a clear explanation of the Western Australian Maths Curriculum, how it aligns with Australian Curriculum v9, and what this means for planning and assessment, this guide breaks it down without unnecessary complexity.

What is the WA Maths Curriculum?

The WA Maths Curriculum outlines what students in Western Australia are expected to learn in Mathematics from Pre-primary to Year 10. The 2026 update clarifies content descriptions, strengthens progression across year levels, and aligns the structure more closely with the Australian Curriculum v9 while maintaining WA-specific codes and achievement standards.

What Changed in the WA Maths Curriculum (Quick Summary)

• clearer wording of content descriptions
• stronger progression across year levels
• increased focus on reasoning and problem-solving
• improved alignment between content and achievement standards
• updated WA-specific curriculum codes
• stronger emphasis on mathematical understanding, not just procedures

The mathematics itself has not significantly changed — the expectations are now clearer.

Why the WA Maths Curriculum Was Updated

The Western Australian Maths Curriculum has been refined to improve clarity, consistency and progression from Pre-primary to Year 10. Rather than introducing new content, the update focuses on making expectations more explicit and easier to apply in classrooms.

The revision aims to:

• clarify the intent of content descriptions
• strengthen progression across year levels
• improve alignment with Australian Curriculum v9
• emphasise reasoning, understanding and application
• modernise language and examples

In short, the mathematics students learn remains largely the same — the way it is described is clearer and more structured.

WA Maths Curriculum Overview (PP–Y6)

Across Pre-primary to Year 6, the WA Maths Curriculum focuses on building strong number sense, understanding mathematical structure, and developing reasoning skills.

In the early years, learning is grounded in hands-on experiences. Students explore counting, number order, quantity and simple patterns through concrete materials and visual representations.

As students progress, they move beyond counting strategies and begin to use place value, number relationships and known facts to solve problems more efficiently.

Students are expected to:

• explain their thinking
• use efficient strategies
• recognise patterns and relationships
• apply mathematics in different contexts

Mathematics is not just about correct answers — it is about understanding how numbers and concepts work.

For a full overview of system-wide updates before focusing on Maths, visit our post:
WA Curriculum Changes : What Teachers Need to Know

Key Focus Areas in the WA Maths Curriculum

The updated WA Maths Curriculum places stronger emphasis on how mathematics is taught and understood.

Across all year levels, there is a clear focus on:

• conceptual understanding alongside procedural fluency
• flexible thinking rather than rote methods
• reasoning and explaining answers
• recognising patterns, structures and relationships
• applying mathematics to real-world contexts
• developing precise mathematical language

These priorities reinforce that mathematics learning is about thinking, not just calculating.

WA Maths Curriculum Implementation Timeline

Familiarisation in 2025
Schools are reviewing the updated WA Maths Curriculum, comparing current planning with revised content descriptions, and preparing for transition.

Full implementation from 2026
All planning, assessment and reporting must align with the updated WA Mathematics Curriculum from 2026.

This phased rollout allows schools to adjust without unnecessary pressure.

How the WA Maths Curriculum Changes Affect Planning

For most teachers, the changes to the WA Maths Curriculum are manageable and do not require rewriting entire programs.

Typical adjustments include:

• updating learning intentions to match revised wording
• refining success criteria
• strengthening connections between concepts
• aligning planning with updated WA codes
• reviewing assessment tasks against achievement standards
• mapping existing resources to new descriptors

Because the mathematical content remains familiar, these updates improve clarity rather than increase workload.

What’s Staying the Same in the WA Maths Curriculum

It is important to understand what has not changed.

• core mathematical concepts remain the same
• strong number sense is still the foundation
• explicit teaching and modelling remain essential
• hands-on and visual learning are still critical
• existing units and resources are largely still relevant

The update supports effective teaching practices — it does not replace them.

WA Maths Curriculum vs Australian Curriculum v9

Western Australia has not adopted Australian Curriculum v9 for Mathematics. Instead, the WA Maths Curriculum has been refined using ACARA v9 as a reference point.

What is similar:

• overall structure
• key mathematical concepts
• progression across year levels

What is different:

• WA curriculum codes
• wording of content descriptions
• organisation of content
• contextual examples
• achievement standards

Teachers should always plan, assess and report using WA Science Curriculum documents, while ACARA alignment can be useful when sourcing or adapting resources.

What’s Included in Each Learning Area Kit

Each Learning Area Kit is designed to support teachers in confidently applying the WA Maths Curriculum (AC v9) in the classroom.

At the core of each guide is the “What This Looks Like in the Classroom” interpretation — a teacher-developed breakdown that translates curriculum language into clear, observable student behaviours.

This bridges the gap between curriculum documents and real classroom practice, helping teachers recognise what achievement actually looks like.

What’s Included

Each kit includes form-fillable PDF checklists for:

• Achievement Standards (whole class and individual students)
• Content Descriptions (including WA curriculum codes, whole class and individual students)

These tools support:

• tracking student progress over time
• collecting evidence across multiple learning experiences
• making confident A–E reporting decisions
• supporting moderation and planning

The Key Difference: “What This Looks Like in the Classroom”

This section is what sets the resource apart.

It provides:

• clear, observable examples of student understanding
• practical interpretation of Achievement Standards
• support for identifying evidence during everyday lessons

Instead of guessing what the curriculum means, teachers can see how learning appears in real classroom contexts.

These descriptions are not a checklist or teaching sequence. They are designed to support professional judgement and on-balance decisions over time.

Flexible and Easy to Use

The checklists can be used digitally or printed and are fully editable using Adobe Reader DC (free).

They are designed to streamline planning, assessment and reporting in one place — without adding extra workload.

Important Note

This resource is aligned to the Western Australian Curriculum (AC v9) and is a teacher-developed interpretation designed to support classroom practice and assessment. It is not endorsed by SCSA. The WA Curriculum remains the authoritative source.

Final Thoughts on the WA Maths Curriculum

The updated WA Maths Curriculum brings greater clarity to what students are expected to learn, without changing the core mathematics taught in classrooms. The content remains familiar, but the improved structure and wording make it easier to plan, assess and track student learning with confidence.

For teachers, the focus is not on starting again, but on refining practice — strengthening understanding, supporting reasoning, and making clearer connections across concepts.

When the curriculum is clear, planning becomes more manageable, assessment becomes more consistent, and teaching becomes more effective.

Understanding how the WA Maths Curriculum works in practice is what makes the difference.

If you’re ready to make the curriculum clearer in your own classroom, download the WA Maths Curriculum Guides and Planning Tools below to support confident planning, consistent assessment, and a clearer picture of student progress.

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