Lightning Reef Primary School is committed to providing a comprehensive and inclusive curriculum that is individualised to meet each child’s learning needs and interests. ​We believe in setting high expectations for all students. Our teaching practice is based on current research and supported by a range of teaching and learning initiatives.

ENGLISH

At Lightning Reef Primary School, we are in the beginning phase of implementing a structured literacy approach grounded in evidence-based practice. This whole-school shift is focused on strengthening consistency and ensuring that every student develops strong foundations in reading and writing.

Structured literacy is explicit, systematic and cumulative. It ensures that essential literacy skills are taught clearly, in a carefully sequenced order, with regular opportunities for practise, review and application.

Our approach incorporates the Big Six of Reading:

• Oral Language – developing vocabulary, speaking and listening skills
• Phonological Awareness – recognising and manipulating the sounds in spoken words
• Phonics – explicitly teaching the relationship between sounds and letters
• Fluency – building accuracy, automaticity and expression in reading
• Vocabulary – expanding word knowledge to support comprehension and writing
• Comprehension – teaching students to actively make meaning from texts

As we continue to strengthen this approach across the school, these components are explicitly taught and revisited over time to ensure strong foundations in literacy. Reading and writing are closely connected, and students are supported to transfer their knowledge of phonics, vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure directly into their writing.

In writing, students are explicitly taught sentence construction, text structure and the features of different text types. They are provided with purposeful opportunities to apply their developing skills in meaningful contexts, strengthening both transcription skills (such as spelling and handwriting) and composition skills (ideas, organisation and language choices).

Spelling is taught using the Department’s Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation lessons, which provide teachers with a clear lesson-by-lesson sequence of learning objectives and embedded assessment information across the year. This supports consistency across classrooms and enables teachers to closely monitor student progress and respond to learning needs with precision.

All English teaching and learning is aligned with the Victorian Curriculum 2.0. Teachers carefully plan, assess and report against curriculum standards to ensure that instruction is purposeful, consistent and responsive to student growth.

Through this structured and connected approach, we are building confident, capable readers and writers who can successfully engage with a wide range of texts.

MATHEMATICS

Our teaching follows a consistent I Do, We Do, You Do gradual release model, ensuring learning is carefully scaffolded and accessible for all students. Teachers begin by explicitly modelling new concepts and strategies, providing clear explanations and worked examples. Students then engage in guided and collaborative practice, allowing them to develop their understanding with teacher support and feedback. Finally, students apply their learning independently to consolidate knowledge, build confidence, and demonstrate mastery. This structure ensures that skills are introduced clearly, supported through practice, and reinforced through independent application.

Teachers incorporate weekly targeted fluency and retrieval practice, enabling students to recall previously learned skills and strengthen long-term retention. This ability to recall prior knowledge supports students to learn new skills more effectively.

SPECIALIST SUBJECTS
All students participate in the following specialist subjects each week:

• Visual Arts
• Performing Art – Music and Drama
• Physical Education
• Languages Karen
• Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS

• Students participate in a wide range of district sports, camps and
  excursions/incursions related to classroom work
• Swimming program
• Skateboarding Program (Gnarly Neighbours)
• Bike Ed
• Gymnastics (F-2)