English
Grovelands Primary School uses evidence-based practices and programs to teach English. The school implements a whole-school approach and a common instructional framework—Review, Teach, Practice, Apply, Revisit—to ensure consistency across all year levels and to support effective collaboration and planning.
Programs
The teaching of Reading and Writing is deeply interconnected, and all programs are designed to support the development of both.
Phonics and Spelling
In Pre-Primary to Year 2, phonics is taught using the Letters and Sounds program. Letters and Sounds is a Systematic Synthetic program that progresses through the teaching of the 44 phonemes and their alternate spellings used in the English language.
In Year 3-6 we use Spelling Success in Action to build on the knowledge gained in Pre-Primary to Year 2. This program focuses on morphology while also supporting the consolidation of phonics knowledge and orthographic conventions (spelling choices).
Writing
Writing is taught using Talk for Writing across K-Year 6. Talk for Writing is an engaging program that uses spoken activities to develop writing skills. Students are provided with opportunities to generate and expand ideas and develop vocabulary and oral language skills before creating their own versions of texts.
Language Comprehension
At Grovelands, language comprehension instruction is embedded into all areas of the Literacy block, including Talk for Writing, shared and modelled reading, text-based units, and novel studies, as well as across other learning areas such as HASS and Science. Students’ background knowledge and vocabulary are developed through rich conversations and purposeful engagement with content.
Maths
Grovelands Primary School is strengthening its whole-school approach to Mathematics to ensure consistency, clarity and high expectations for every learner. A key priority is building strong number sense through explicit, structured and hands-on learning experiences that support deep understanding and long-term success.
Top Ten as a Whole School Instruction
As part of this approach, we have implemented Top Ten as a core Mathematics program across all year levels. Top Ten is built around practical, hands-on strategies that help students visualise, represent and manipulate numbers in meaningful ways. Rather than relying solely on memorisation, students use concrete materials, visual models and structured number routines to develop flexible thinking and efficient mental strategies. This hands-on approach strengthens conceptual understanding, improves accuracy and builds confidence.
Through consistent use of Top Ten strategies, students develop automatic recall of key number facts while also understanding how numbers work and relate to one another. The shared language and strategies across the school ensure continuity of learning from Pre-primary to Year 6.
Mathematics Instruction Model
Our whole-school RTPAR (Review-Teach-Practice-Apply-Revisit) pedagogical framework underpins Mathematics instruction. Lessons incorporate explicit teaching and modelling, guided and shared practice, and opportunities for independent application. This structured approach ensures students are supported, challenged and equipped with effective strategies.
Assessments
Teachers work collaboratively in year-level teams, using assessment data including Elastik Reviews, moderation tasks and classroom observations to inform their planning. This enables the design of targeted, responsive learning experiences that support ongoing growth and ensure every student’s progress is closely monitored and addressed.
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