The purpose of this framework is to outline Epping Views Primary School’s organisation, implementation and review of curriculum and teaching practices, and to ensure that, taken as a whole, teaching and learning supports the achievement of every student. As detailed in the Strategic Plan, Epping Views Primary School seeks to develop rich academic programs, with a particular focus on Numeracy and Literacy, that are grounded in a School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) approach to support student wellbeing and amplify student voice and agency. 

This framework outlines how we deliver the curriculum, how the curriculum and teaching practice is reviewed, how we assess student learning to inform teaching and how we record and monitor student performance to report to parents and reflect on teaching practice.  This curriculum framework is supported by whole school Scope and Sequences and  Termly and Weekly lesson plans. 

OVERVIEW

Epping Views Primary school provides a comprehensive curriculum based on the F-10 Victorian Curriculum 2.0, with a strong focus on literacy, numeracy and wellbeing.

The key points in this framework, and in line with the F–10 Revised Curriculum Planning and Reporting  Guidelines, are a commitment to:

• A defined curriculum content is the basis for student learning
• Reporting student learning against the achievement standards in the curriculum
• Reporting student learning to students and parents in line with the Department’s Reporting Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10

This curriculum aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to complete their schooling with a strong sense of self and belonging, in order to make a successful transition from school to work, training, or further education. 

Curriculum initiatives include:

• The Epping Views Instructional Models in Literacy and Numeracy
  • Engage, Launch, Explore, Summarise, Relaunch
• Oral Language Investigations based on research by Kathy Walker
• Inquiry sequence of learning providing cross-curriculum learning opportunities around whole school themes using the Mappen Framework
• Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) to equip students with social, emotional and relationship skills through a comprehensive curriculum covering eight key topics to promote healthy relationships, resilience, and confidence
• Tutor Learning Initiative to support students with additional needs when accessing grade level content in Literacy (based on MultiLit) and Numeracy
• Victorian High Abilities Program in English and Maths to extend students beyond grade level
• Social and Emotional Learning encompasses SWPBS, Mindfulness and RRRR and Morning Meetings to support the wellbeing of all students
• School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) framework supports student learning through clear, consistent expectations and positive values.
• Language Support Program (LSP) supported by SSS speech pathologist

In addition to comprehensive classroom programs offered in Literacy and Numeracy, a Specialist program provides targeted instruction in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths), Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education, Language (Italian) and Library. An integrated classroom curriculum program addresses The Humanities, Civics and Citizenship and Health. The Capabilities (Ethical, Critical & Creative Thinking, Intercultural and Personal & Social capabilities are addressed across the curriculum and includes a focus on Indigenous perspectives and Sustainability awareness.

Assistant Principals, Leading Teachers and Learning Specialists support teaching and learning teams to ensure that curriculum development is evidence based, incorporates high-impact teaching strategies and is differentiated based on individual student data. To support student development in learning and wellbeing, teachers work to continually improve and adapt teaching practice in Professional Learning Communities (PLC) using an inquiry model. This supports consistent and effective teaching practices and produces engaging curriculum materials to ensure all students learn at their point of need.

There is a high level of professional development, leveraging whole school professional learning and collaborative planning structures. These are utilised to ensure a shared vision on curriculum development, common documentation and curriculum understanding by teachers. Multiple stakeholders including the School Improvement Team, Consultative Committee, School Council and parents are regularly updated about curriculum initiatives and student performance.

IMPLEMENTATION

Epping Views Primary School implements its curriculum in accordance with the learning areas and capabilities outlined in the Victorian Curriculum. 

Pedagogy 

Numeracy

Epping Views Primary School utilises the whole school instructional model including; Engage, Launch, Explore, Summarise and Relaunch phases (based on the research of Peter Sullivan and developed in consultation with Mathematics Association of Victoria). This model allows students to build Numeracy capabilities from the Mathematics 2.0 Curriculum as they problem solve. Key mathematical skills are applied as students work collaboratively, to explain and summarise their thinking.

The Numeracy Scope and Sequence is based on mathematical big ideas and clearly outlines the learning progression, covering the 6 strands over the academic year. Students undertake integrated units of work, fostering connections between different mathematical ideas. As students deepen their understanding, they work toward demonstrating proficiency of the Achievement Standard, representing and explaining their reasoning through a variety of representations including physical resources, drawings, symbols and numbers.

Literacy

The instructional model at Epping Views Primary School integrates Reading & Viewing, Writing, and Speaking & Listening into a cohesive literacy block, ensuring these core components of the curriculum are taught in an interconnected manner.

In Literacy strong links are made between reading and writing. Students study authors as experts, analysing and critiquing their skills, including text types, techniques, and their impact on the audience. By applying these insights and critiques to their own writing, students enhance their abilities and become better authors themselves when writing and publishing their own texts. Additionally, the literacy block is closely linked with Inquiry learning, allowing students to apply their reading and viewing, writing, and speaking and listening skills to the inquiry focus.

In the early years students develop and build their phonological awareness and phonics skills with the support of explicit teaching and in the upper years students continue to build their vocabulary and deepen their morphology understanding. Teachers involve students in reading conferences and teaching groups to ensure that they are being taught at their point of need with a focus on gradual release of responsibility.

Investigations

Our Investigations program follows the intentional teaching and learning approach of Walker Learning. It provides a unique balance between students being active participants in their learning and explicit instruction.  This approach increases engagement and makes strong connections to learning and strengthens the pathway and transition from kindergarten to primary school.

Students have the opportunity to consolidate the learning focuses that are planned each week from Literacy, Numeracy and Inquiry through exploration and play. They have authentic opportunities to learn personal and social skills, conflict resolution, problem solving, decision making and develop their independence, linked to all areas of the curriculum.  Additionally, students have one on one time working with the teacher, targeting specific and personal learning goals.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support

In all classrooms, SWPBS and universal Supports are embedded to maximise effective teaching time and student wellbeing. Students are supported to identify and monitor their learning dispositions while adopting a growth mindset. Teachers model and encourage students to reflect upon high impact strategies that allow them to build a positive sense of self, community and develop their identity as a learner.  Students use emotional check in tools to reflect on their emotions and are encouraged to access support as needed. Specific praise is used to encourage expected behaviours and rewarded through our Caught Ya Card System.

Assessment and Reporting

Epping Views Primary School assesses student progress in line with the Department’s Assessment of Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10 policy.

Students have multiple and varied opportunities to demonstrate learning and achievement. Teachers use assessment tasks that cover multiple curriculum levels to ensure that evidence of learning and growth is captured for every student. Internal assessments such as pre-tests and common assessment tasks inform teaching and reporting, along with English and Maths Online Interviews and standardised assessments, including PAT (Progress Achievement Tests).  In addition, curriculum initiatives are driven by NAPLAN data and an analysis of school performance data including student, staff and parent surveys.

Teachers report to families on student achievement each Semester. Core curriculum areas such as Numeracy and Literacy are assessed against Achievement Standards at each curriculum level. Specialist areas (including Italian, Library, Visual Arts, PE, Performing Arts and STEM) are assessed against Achievement Standards in two year bands, as are curriculum areas such as the Humanities and Science

All students receive a school report.  There may be some instances in which a student receives a modified report in alignment with their Individual Education Plan which may include ABLES Reports.

In addition to receiving reports, families have the opportunity to meet with their student’s teacher multiple times throughout the year as outlined below:

• Term 1 - Meet and Greet
• Mid year - Student Led Conferences
• Termly - Celebration of Learning (open classroom)
• Anytime at Parent Request

English as an Additional Language (EAL)  

Epping Views Primary School provides an EAL Pathway for EAL learners with limited English proficiency. EAL support for these students is incorporated as part of the classroom learning environment to support students in communicating with their peers in a familiar environment. This is further supported in the early years through the Oral Language Investigations Program.

In Foundation-Year 2, Epping Views Primary School recognises that students who enter Foundation are generally pre-literate, regardless of their language background. As such, the EAL Pathway includes two levels of English Language Learning: Level A1 and Level A2. The progress within these levels equates to the rates of progression expectation in Foundation-Year 2.

In Years 3-6 students with limited English proficiency, fewer than two years of formal learning and minimal home literacy experience will begin the EAL Pathway at Level BL, before progressing to Level B1. Learners with prior experience of formal learning but no proficiency in English begin at Level B1 and then progress through Levels B1, B2 and B3. The progress within these levels equates to the rates of progression expected in Years 3-8. 

CURRICULUM AND TEACHING PRACTICE REVIEW

School curriculum and teaching practice is reviewed against the Framework for Improving of Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0). FISO and the FISO improvement cycle help identify focus areas for improvement and to evaluate the impact of introduced initiatives.