English

At St Peter’s, we believe that strong literacy skills are the foundation for lifelong learning, critical thinking, and effective communication. We are committed to providing a rich, evidence-informed literacy program that supports every child to thrive as a reader, writer, speaker, and listener.

We value the uniqueness of our community and use data such as the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) and the National Assessment Program (NAPLAN) – Literacy, an annual nationwide assessment that measures key skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. We also use Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) to track and support student learning over time, helping to build a supportive and equitable learning environment for all students.

This helps teachers:

  • Identify students who need intervention or extension

  • Group students based on their learning levels

    Plan targeted instruction to improve learning outcomes

Curriculum Framework

Our Literacy program is aligned with the Victorian Curriculum 2.0, ensuring we deliver a comprehensive and developmental approach from Foundation to Year 6. We integrate the curriculum’s focus on language, literature, and literacy to build deep knowledge and transferable skills.

Evidence-Based Instruction: Structured Literacy

We implement a systematic synthetic phonics approach, explicitly teaching the relationship between letters and sounds in a carefully sequenced way. This method is grounded in the Science of Reading and ensures students develop strong decoding and encoding skills in the early years and beyond.

Our structured literacy approach includes:

  • Daily phonemic awareness and phonics instruction

  • Explicit teaching of spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure

  • A balance of decodable texts and rich literature

  • Guided and modelled reading and writing experiences.

Catering for All Learners

We acknowledge and celebrate the diverse learning needs of our students. Our literacy program is differentiated to ensure all students are supported and challenged at their point of need. This includes:

  • Small group and individualised instruction

  • Learning intentions and success criteria to guide progress

  • Ongoing assessment to inform targeted teaching

  • A commitment to inclusion and equity, ensuring every student has access to quality literacy learning

At St Peter’s, we adopt a Tiered Response to Intervention (RTI) model to provide additional support where needed:

  • Tier 1: High-quality, evidence-based classroom instruction for all

  • Tier 2 & Tier 3: Targeted and intensive support through the IMSL (Introductory Multisensory Structured Language) Approach.

IMSL is a multisensory, structured, and cumulative intervention designed to support students with literacy difficulties, including dyslexia. It is implemented across Foundation to Year 2 to ensure no learner is left behind.