At Essendon North Primary School, we believe that in order to empower our students to be independent, innovative and engage with the world, we must provide transdisciplinary learning environments that foster creativity, conceptual understandings and an inquiry approach to learning. We provide a consistent written, taught and assessed curriculum, both vertically and horizontally across our school that is relevant, significant, challenging and engaging. Our curriculum is collaboratively planned, assessed and reflected upon by all teachers, and aligned with the expectations of the Victorian Curriculum F-10.
The Victorian Curriculum is used as the curriculum framework to plan and monitor the developmental learning of individuals and small groups of students with similar learning needs from Foundation to Year Six, in accordance with DET policy and guidelines. The Victorian Curriculum includes the learning areas of; English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, Health and Physical Education, The Arts and Languages. Alongside these are the four capabilities of Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Capability, Personal and Social Capability and Technologies.
At ENPS we provide a differentiated curriculum that recognises and responds to diverse student needs, addressing the specific requirements of students in relation to gender, special learning needs, disabilities and impairments, giftedness and students from language backgrounds other than English. When developing our curriculum, we identify and cater for the differing needs of individuals and particular cohorts of students.
At Essendon North Primary School, the learning and growth of all students is collaborative, valued and communicated to enable a shared responsibility between home and school. Every student is empowered by opportunities to maximise their potential, recognising and promoting individual learning and growth.
Communication of student learning and growth at Essendon North Primary School is transparent, collaborative, relevant and reflective. Teachers work in partnership with parents and are proactive in communicating if concerns arise. We conduct Home and School Partnership Meetings at the beginning of the school year that focus on working collaboratively, defining collective goals, and establishing purposeful partnerships that strengthen learning outcomes and student success. Home and School Partnerships are also held mid-year and provide an opportunity for the teacher to meet with parents to discuss their child’s learning and growth. In Term Four, the Exhibition of Student Learning provides an opportunity for students to share their learning, growth and achievements with their families.
Each term, a Unit of Inquiry Flyer is sent home to provide families with an overview of key learning areas, important dates, and upcoming events. This supports a strong home and school partnership by keeping parents informed and enabling them to actively support their child’s learning at home.
Families receive a formal report at the end of Semester One and Semester Two. These reports align with the VCAA (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority) and the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) F-10 Curriculum and Reporting Guidelines. Each semester report outlines both student achievement and progress. Achievement reflects a student’s position along the learning continuum for a specific curriculum area and/or capability by making holistic and evidence-based judgements of assessment evidence gathered during a reporting period. Progress represents the growth in learning since the previous reporting cycle against the relevant achievement standards.
Essendon North Primary has a commitment to structured, purposeful inquiry that engages students actively in their own learning. Inquiry in the broadest sense is the process initiated by the students or the teacher that moves students from their current level of understanding to a new and deeper level of understanding. Inquiry allows students' understanding of the world to develop in a manner and at a rate that is unique to that student. Students are supported to make meaning from the world around them by drawing on prior knowledge, by providing new experiences and by providing time and opportunity for reflection and consolidation.