English – Developing confident readers, writers and communicators. 

Our Vision

English develops students' ability to communicate, think critically and engage confidently with the world around them. Through reading, writing, speaking and listening, students build the knowledge, skills and confidence to express themselves with clarity, creativity and purpose. We are committed to nurturing confident, capable and curious readers, writers and communicators who are equipped with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to flourish at school, contribute positively to their communities and develop a lifelong love of language and learning.

Our English program is aligned with the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 and grounded in evidence-informed teaching practices. Teachers design engaging, differentiated learning experiences informed by ongoing assessment to ensure every learner is appropriately supported, challenged and able to make continuous progress.

How We Teach

English lessons follow an explicit instruction approach, where teachers clearly explain and model new learning before guiding students through supported practice and gradually releasing responsibility as confidence and independence develop. Students participate in regular review to strengthen retention of previously taught learning, while ongoing formative assessment enables teachers to respond to individual learning needs.

Our structured literacy approach develops strong foundations in:

• phonological awareness

• phonics

• vocabulary

• reading fluency

• oral language

• reading comprehension

• spelling and morphology

• grammar, punctuation and sentence structure

• writing across a range of text types.

Students are provided with regular opportunities to read, write, speak and listen in meaningful contexts. They are encouraged to think critically, communicate clearly, persevere through challenges and develop confidence in using language for a variety of purposes.

In Prep to Year 2, students participate in explicit and systematic instruction in phonological awareness and phonics, supporting them to understand the relationship between sounds and letters, develop accurate decoding skills and build fluent reading. Carefully sequenced decodable texts, including Decodable Readers Australia, provide meaningful opportunities for students to apply newly acquired knowledge while developing reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension. Ongoing assessment enables teachers to monitor progress, identify individual learning needs and provide timely support or extension.

As students progress through Years 3–6, they engage with a carefully sequenced English curriculum that develops reading, writing, speaking and listening through rich, high-quality literature and purposeful learning experiences. Students explore novels and a range of quality texts to deepen comprehension, expand vocabulary, analyse an author's craft and develop critical and creative thinking. Through explicit writing instruction, students learn to plan, draft, revise and publish texts for a variety of audiences and purposes while strengthening grammar, punctuation, spelling and written expression.

To support consistent, high-quality teaching, we use the Ochre Education English curriculum as our core instructional resource in Years 3–6. Teachers use Ochre alongside the Victorian Curriculum, ongoing assessment and professional judgement to deliver responsive instruction that meets the needs of every learner.

Our Approach is Informed by Research

Our English program reflects contemporary research into how students learn to read, write and communicate most effectively. Evidence demonstrates that literacy develops best when foundational skills are explicitly taught, carefully sequenced, regularly reviewed and practised in meaningful contexts. Through structured literacy, explicit teaching, vocabulary development, retrieval practice, rich literature, formative assessment and responsive teaching, we ensure students develop the strong literacy foundations needed for lifelong success.

This evidence-informed approach enables every student to become a confident reader, thoughtful writer and effective communicator while fostering curiosity, resilience and a lifelong appreciation of language and literature.

Learning in Action

Students experience English through engaging, purposeful learning that develops confidence, knowledge and a love of language. Learning may include:

• explicit teaching with clear learning intentions and success criteria

• daily opportunities to read, write, speak and listen

• systematic instruction in phonics and structured literacy in the early years

• rich, knowledge-building texts that develop vocabulary, imagination and critical thinking

• explicit teaching of writing, grammar, spelling and language conventions

• opportunities to discuss, question, justify and communicate ideas

• authentic writing for a variety of audiences and purposes

• ongoing assessment that informs teaching and celebrates student growth.

Through these experiences, students develop the confidence to communicate effectively, think critically and express themselves with clarity, creativity and purpose.

Our Commitment to Every Learner

Every student can become a confident, capable and successful reader, writer and communicator. We believe that all students can achieve success in English when provided with consistent, structured and purposeful instruction, high expectations and responsive teaching.

Through differentiated learning, ongoing assessment and timely feedback, we recognise and respond to the individual strengths, needs and progress of every learner. By providing the right support and challenge at the right time, we empower students to build confidence, experience success and continue to grow as readers, writers and communicators.

Called to Learn

English empowers students to communicate with confidence, empathy and purpose. As learners who are Called to Learn, students use the power of language to build relationships, express ideas, seek truth and contribute positively to their communities, letting their light shine through their words and actions.