Year 12 (Stage 2) Curriculum
Senior School at Walford is the training ground for life, with Year 12 representing a critical transition point in the journey toward young adulthood.
Welcome to Year 12, the final year of study at Walford.
With no compulsory curriculum requirements, students select subjects that align closely with your interests, forming the stepping stones to further learning and work. By this stage of schooling, students have become highly attuned to our model of learning and assessment, taking a more autonomous approach to school life that reflects their maturity and independence.
This approach is complemented by a more flexible timetable, allowing students to arrive late in the morning or leave after lunch when lessons are not timetabled. Year 12 students additionally have exclusive access to a common area, providing a space they can use to engage in independent study.
Bespoke Pathways
Year 12 Stage 2 Subjects
In addition to subjects delivered at Walford, Year 12 students access opportunities outside the School, as part of their Bespoke Pathway. Examples include Vocational Education and Training (VET) and early university study through either Extension Studies (Flinders University) or Headstart (The University of Adelaide).
The following Stage 2 subjects are offered at Walford:

Full year (two semesters)
You will develop your understanding about the diversity of life as it has evolved, the structure and function of living things, and how they interact with their own and other species and their environments. You will apply your understanding of the interconnectedness of biological systems to evaluate the impact of human activity on the natural world. You will also inquire into and explain biological phenomena and draw evidence-based conclusions from your investigations into biology-related issues, developments, and innovations. You will study DNA and proteins, cells as the basis of life, homeostasis and evolution.

Full year (two semesters)
You will develop the knowledge, skills, and understandings to engage in business contexts in the modern world. In a time where design-led companies outperform other companies, you are immersed in the process of finding and solving customer problems or needs through design thinking and using assumption-based planning tools. You will identify the customers who are at the centre of your innovation process and generate viable business products, services, and processes.

Full year (two semesters)
You will develop and extend your understanding of how the physical world is chemically constructed, the interaction between human activities and the environment, and the use that human beings make of the planet’s resources. You will explore examples of how scientific understanding is dynamic and develops with new evidence, which may involve the application of new technologies. You will study monitoring the environment, managing chemical processes, organic and biological chemistry and managing resources.

Full year (two semesters)
You will explore and develop your understanding of a range of contemporary Chinese social issues. After researching, analysing and examining these issues from different perspectives, you will need to justify your opinions using credible information. You will develop your writing skills through writing compositions in different text types, including article, formal letter, email and speech. You will also have the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study on a topic of interest.

Full year (two semesters)
You will significantly develop your linguistic and cultural proficiency. You will be learning to discuss and reflect on your experiences and personal direction, culture and the changing world in Chinese. Extend yourself through the in-depth study by researching a topic connected with Chinese society and culture which is of personal interest. Use Chinese authentically in a range of contexts, including spontaneous interaction, email, formal letters and creative expression. Experience Chinese culture through movies, food and intercultural exchange activities.

Full year (two semesters)
You will investigate, design and create products that solve real-world problems within a variety of contexts. You will critically evaluate existing technologies and products, including the impact on societies. Through the investigation, development, planning and evaluating phases, you will apply skills, processes and techniques to develop innovative solutions to design problems of your choice. Digital or physical solutions could involve electronics, robotics, 3D printing prototypes, laser-cutting materials, 3D digital models, coding, VR and architectural design.

Full year (two semesters)
You will study how society uses its limited resources to satisfy unlimited wants. Each participant in the economy, from people, to firms to government, needs to make choices based on their information and economic reasoning. This is explored in local, national and global contexts.

Full year (two semesters)
You will consider a variety of texts and their representation of human experience and the world. You will study an extended prose text (e.g. a novel, memoir or selected short stories), film, poetry, drama and non-fiction texts that may be chosen from the contemporary world, from the past, and from Australian and other cultures. You will explore how the purpose of a text is achieved and how stylistic choices position the audience to respond to ideas and perspectives in a text.

Full year (two semesters)
English as an Additional Language is designed for students for whom English is a second language or an additional language or dialect and who fulfil the eligibility criteria. You will focus on the development of both written and oral communication skills with a focus on creative communication and comprehension of language, and the analysis and application of language features and conventions.

Full year (two semesters)
Stage 2 English Literary Studies focuses on the skills and strategies of critical thinking needed to interpret texts and to create sophisticated texts of your own. Through shared and individual study of texts, you will encounter various opinions about texts, have opportunities to exchange and develop ideas, find evidence to support a personal view, learn to construct logical and convincing arguments, and develop a range of critical interpretations of texts.

Full year (two semesters)
You will further extend your mathematical skills in ways that apply to practical problem-solving in everyday and workplace settings. You will apply mathematics in diverse contexts, including everyday calculations, financial management, business applications, measurement and geometry, and statistics.

Full year (two semesters)
You will significantly develop your linguistic and cultural proficiency, extending yourself through the in-depth study, where you will have the opportunity to research a topic connected with French culture that is of personal interest. You will engage with a range of modern issues in readings and conversations in French in relation to a range of topics such as art, cinema and entertainment, the world of work, 21st century social issues, and the environment. You will learn how to debate and defend an opinion, persuade your audience, share your ideas, and give advice in French. Multilingualism and cross-cultural understanding bring a range of life-long personal, social and career benefits.

Full year (two semesters)
You will further extend and develop mathematical skills in ways that apply to practical problem-solving. A problem-based approach is integral to the development of mathematical models and the associated key concepts in the topics. You will investigate a diverse range of applications of mathematics, including personal financial management, the statistical investigation process, modelling using linear and non-linear functions, and discrete modelling using networks and matrices.

Full year (two semesters)
Through your study of geography, you will develop an understanding of the spatial interrelationships between people, places, and environments. The complexity of our world, the diversity of its environments, and the challenges and associated opportunities facing Australia and the world will be explored and challenged. How can you play a part in a sustainable future for all?

Full year (two semesters)
You will be supported to build your own program of study, allowing you to pursue an area of interest not otherwise available through traditional subjects. You will design opportunities for practical learning, a connections task and a research investigation, all designed around your chosen learning focus and negotiated with you on commencement of the course. This course is tailored to your individual interests and learning needs, and is accessible to all students.

Full year (two semesters)
How can you influence democratic processes to control the exercise of power? You will examine how people, governments and institutions shape the law and how law controls, shapes, and regulates interactions between people, institutions, and government. You will apply critical and conceptual thinking to evaluate evidence in order to make decisions and substantiated recommendations about legal concepts, principles, processes and problems.

Full year (two semesters)
You will develop an increasingly complex and sophisticated understanding of calculus and statistics. By using functions and their derivatives and integrals, and by mathematically modelling physical processes, you will develop a deep understanding of the physical world through a sound knowledge of relationships involving rates of change. You will use statistics to describe and analyse phenomena that involve uncertainty and variation.

Full year (two semesters)
You will explore the conflicts that led to the fall of empires and the rise of dictators. The twentieth century was a time of rapid global change, and you will investigate the impacts of this on nations, groups and individuals. How the world changed after 1945 will be explored by investigating the Cold War, the impacts of which are still seen today. Your skills of critical thinking, analysis will be challenged as you explore different historical ideas.

Full year (two semesters)
Stage 2 Music Explorations lets you compose your own pieces, perform either solo or in an ensemble, and dive deep into how music works by analysing, comparing, reviewing, and researching music and styles that inspire you. You'll build your creativity, performance skills, and musical understanding while reflecting on what makes music powerful and unique.

Full year (two semesters)
Students develop and extend their practical music-making skills through performing works in an ensemble/choir or as a soloist. They apply their musical understanding, skills, and techniques in refining and performing music. Students analyse their repertoire, and critique strategies to rehearse and develop their performances, and contribute and collaborate as effective members of an ensemble or as a soloist.

Full year (two semesters)
Music Studies aims to develop a complete musician: performer, composer/arranger, musicologist, and critic. Students apply their knowledge and understanding of the elements of music, and musical conventions and styles, to develop and refine their musical works, their musical imagination, and their own ideas about and appreciation of music.

Full year (two semesters)
Nutrition is the study of dietary, lifestyle and healthy eating patterns with specific focus on nutrients in food, how the body uses nutrients, and the relationship between diet, health, emerging trends, and disease. You will investigate how the food and nutritional needs of different population demographics are affected by food availability, product development and ecological sustainability. You will study principles of nutrition, physiology and health, health promotion and emerging trends, and sustainable food systems.

Full year (two semesters)
Stage 2 Outdoor Education will provide you with the opportunities to experience personal growth and to develop social skills, self-confidence, initiative, self-reliance, leadership, and collaborative skills. You will evaluate and reflect on your progression of practical outdoor skills in kayaking, bushwalking, camp craft and navigation. Use reflective practice and processes to implement improvement strategies in building your skills and connections as you complete a self-reliant bushwalking expedition on the Heysen Trail in the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Full year (two semesters)
Develop an understanding of biomechanics, energy systems, training principles, and skill acquisition, through performance in lawn bowls, badminton, and an individualised training program. Acquire and perform the role of a badminton coach, and plan to improve the performance outcomes of players by focusing on the relevant movement concepts and strategies utilised in a badminton match.

Full year (two semesters)
The study of Physics uses qualitative and quantitative models, laws, and theories to better understand matter, forces, energy, and the interaction among them. Physics seeks to explain natural phenomena, from the subatomic world to the macrocosmos, and to make predictions about them. The models, laws, and theories in physics are based on evidence obtained from observations, measurements, and active experimentation over thousands of years. Studying this course will enable you to explain many everyday observations and help you better understand the world around you. You will study motion and relativity, electricity and magnetism, and light and atoms.

Full year (two semesters)
Psychology aims to describe and explain both the universality of human experience and individual and cultural diversity. It also addresses the ways in which behaviour can be changed. Psychology focuses on evidence-based procedures that enables you to define the scope of your learning by identifying investigable questions, deconstructing, and designing your research using scientific approaches, data, and analysing and critiquing your findings. The issues that arise during your investigations should be informed by the application of key scientific ideas, skills, concepts, and understanding. You will study psychology of the individual, psychological health and wellbeing, organisational psychology, social influence, and the psychology of learning.

Full year (two semesters)
You will further extend and deepen your mathematical knowledge, skills, and understanding using rigorous mathematical algebraic arguments and proofs, and using mathematical models. Applications are set in real-world contexts, as well as abstract contexts involving complex numbers, vectors, functions, parametric curves and calculus.
(This subject must be completed in conjunction with or after Stage 2 Mathematical Methods.)

Full year (two semesters)
You will visually experiment and respond to work of artists, documenting your ideas, exploring a range of media and techniques. You will experiment and respond to relevant themes and contexts on a chosen topic of interest. You will develop and apply skills in a broad range of media to produce resolved works of art. Examples of media could include painting, drawing, sculpture, casting, printmaking, ceramics, digital art, jewellery and photography.

Full year (two semesters)
You will develop and apply skills using various programs and media to produce resolved works of communication design, product design and/or visual design. You will visually experiment and respond to a design brief, document your ideas and explore a range of designers and techniques. Examples of design topics include logo and branding design, graphic and illustration design, surface pattern design, packaging design and photography. Works of design could involve drawing, painting, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, SketchUp, 3D printing, laser cutting and specialty printing.