Curriculum

Literacy

At Burton Primary School, we are committed to providing high-quality literacy education that equips our students with the essential skills they need to succeed. Our literacy instruction is grounded in the Science of Reading, an evidence-based approach that emphasises the importance of explicit and systematic teaching practices.

Our literacy instruction is designed to build strong foundational skills for all students, from Reception through to Year 6. We focus on the “Big 6” components of reading, which are:

Oral Language: Developing students’ listening and speaking skills to support their overall language development.

Phonological Awareness: Teaching students to recognise and manipulate the sounds in spoken words, which is crucial for reading and spelling.

Phonics: Implementing a systematic synthetic phonics program that teaches students the relationships between letters and sounds, enabling them to decode words effectively.

Vocabulary: Expanding students’ word knowledge to enhance their comprehension and communication skills. This includes teaching morphology (the study of word forms and structures) and etymology (the study of word origins and histories) to help students understand the meaning and structure of words.

Fluency: Helping students to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression, which supports their understanding of the text.

Comprehension: Teaching strategies that enable students to understand, interpret, and engage with a variety of texts.

These components are interwoven into our literacy instruction, much like the strands of the Reading Rope, to ensure a comprehensive approach to reading development.

The Reading Rope illustrates how these individual skills combine to create skilled and fluent readers. The Reading Rope

Systematic Synthetic Phonics Program

Our systematic synthetic phonics instruction is a cornerstone of our literacy instruction. We provide a structured approach to teaching phonics, following the DfE Years R-2 Scope, students learn to blend sounds to form words and segment words into their constituent sounds. This method has been proven to be highly effective in developing strong reading and spelling skills. The DfE Years 3-6 Spelling and Morphology Scope and Sequence is taught in the primary years from which students learn extended code, morphology (smallest unit of meaning) and etymology (the origin of words).

Explicit Reading and Writing Instruction

We believe in the power of explicit instruction to ensure that all students receive clear, direct teaching in reading and writing. Our teachers use explicit teaching strategies to model and demonstrate key literacy skills, followed by guided practice and independent application. This approach ensures that students understand the purpose of each lesson and can apply their learning in meaningful contexts.

Mathematics

At Burton Primary School, we are committed to providing high-quality mathematics education through consistent practices. Our Mathematics teaching ensures that all students have opportunities to strengthen their mathematical thinking and develop essential numeracy skills for success now and in the future.

Key Features of the teaching and learning at Burton:

Curriculum: We use the Australian Curriculum/SA Curriculum to plan, teach, and assess mathematics at age-appropriate levels.

Differentiated Teaching: Lessons are designed to meet individual student needs, offering intellectual challenges and using data from assessments like PAT-M and NAPLAN.

Learning Intentions: Clear learning intentions and success criteria are displayed and discussed, helping students set and achieve personal goals.

Engagement: We encourage active participation through challenging tasks, problem-solving, and the use of manipulatives.

Monitoring Progress: Student progress is tracked through various data collection methods, ensuring continuous improvement and communication with parents.

For more information, please visit our curriculum resources at  SA Curriculum and Australian Curriculum.

Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum

The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum (KS:CPC) is required for all children and young people in our school. It’s taught each year by teachers who have completed a full-day KS:CPC training course.  

It teaches children to: 

• recognise abuse and tell a trusted adult about it 
• understand what touching is appropriate and inappropriate  
• understand ways of keeping themselves safe. 

Visit Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum information for parents and carers for more information.