Teaching and Learning at Westminster Primary School
At Westminster Primary School, we are committed to providing high-quality teaching and learning so that every child is supported to learn, grow, and achieve. Our teaching is informed by current educational research and delivered through shared whole-school approaches to ensure consistency and continuity for all students. We follow the Western Australian Curriculum in line with the requirements of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) and the Department of Education, ensuring all curriculum, assessment and reporting practices meet mandated expectations.
Across the school, teachers implement agreed instructional approaches and programs so that students experience clear routines, common language for learning, and well-structured lessons as they progress through year levels. This consistency supports students to feel secure, confident, and engaged in their learning.
Our Instructional Approach
At Westminster Primary School, our teachers use our Instructional Model to provide a consistent, effective shared approach to teaching and learning across the school. It ensures that all students experience high-quality, explicit instruction that supports engagement, understanding, and success.
Lessons are carefully planned and purposeful, with clear learning intentions and success criteria so students understand what they are learning and what success looks like.
Lessons typically begin with a daily review, allowing students to revisit previously learned knowledge and skills, strengthen recall, and build fluency. Teachers then explicitly model new learning before guiding students through supported practice and gradually releasing responsibility so that students can apply their learning independently. Time is provided for reflection to consolidate understanding and celebrate progress. This structured approach supports strong engagement, deep learning, and improved retention of skills and knowledge.
Teachers regularly check student understanding throughout lessons and adjust teaching in response to student needs. Differentiation, feedback, and targeted support are embedded to ensure all students are appropriately challenged and supported.
English
English programs at Westminster Primary School are aligned with the Western Australian Curriculum and integrate the three strands of Language, Literature and Literacy. Teaching is explicit, structured and responsive, supporting students to develop strong skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing, writing and creating.
Reading instruction is aligned with the Science of Reading and includes explicit teaching of oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.
Oral language and sentence structure are explicitly supported through Colourful Semantics, particularly in the early years and for students requiring additional language support. This approach helps students understand how sentences are constructed and supports the development of complete, meaningful sentences, strengthening both spoken language and writing.
Commencing in Kindergarten students begin building phonological awareness through the Heggerty Program. From Pre-Primary to Year 2, students are taught structured synthetic phonics through UFLI Foundations, ensuring consistency in early reading instruction across classrooms. UFLI explicitly teaches the relationship between sounds and letters, helping students learn how to decode unfamiliar words accurately and confidently. Lessons follow a predictable routine, allowing students to feel secure and focused while learning new sounds, spelling patterns and word structures.
UFLI lessons include daily practice in reading and spelling words, blending and segmenting sounds, reading connected text, and applying skills in short writing tasks. Regular review of previously taught sounds and patterns is built into lessons, supporting retention and automaticity.
From Year 3 to Year 6, spelling and word knowledge are explicitly taught through Spelling Mastery, a research-based program designed to build strong, transferable spelling skills. Rather than relying on weekly word lists or memorisation alone, Spelling Mastery teaches students how spelling works. Lessons focus on sound- letter relationships, spelling patterns, rules and word meanings, helping students understand the structure of English words.
Fluency reading is explicitly taught and practised across the school, as fluent reading supports comprehension and enjoyment of texts. Fluency instruction focuses on accuracy, pace and expression. Teachers provide regular opportunities for students to practise reading aloud through choral reading, partner reading, and repeated reading of short texts. These structured fluency reads allow students to build confidence, automaticity, and expression, freeing up cognitive effort so they can focus on understanding what they read.
Writing is supported through the Talk for Writing approach across all year levels. Students learn to create oral and written texts through a structured sequence of imitation, innovation and independent application, with teachers modelling language structures and text features. This scaffolded approach builds confidence, creativity, and independence in writing.
Teachers use ongoing assessment data to monitor progress, identify trends, and focus instruction on essential skills. Students requiring additional support access targeted Tier 2 literacy interventions, including MiniLit in Years 1–2 and MacqLit in Years 3–6. These programs are delivered by trained staff and closely monitored to ensure timely and effective support.
Mathematics
The study of Mathematics plays a key role in developing numeracy, equipping young people with the knowledge and skills needed for success in education, the workplace, and everyday life. Mathematics provides students with essential mathematical knowledge, skills, procedures and processes in number, algebra, measurement, space, statistics, and probability. A positive experience of mathematics fosters confidence, resilience and self-motivation, empowering students to approach challenges with a constructive and curious mindset.
Mathematics teaching at Westminster Primary School is explicit, structured, and focused on developing confident and capable mathematicians. Teachers clearly explain concepts, model mathematical thinking through think-aloud strategies and ensure students understand learning intentions and success criteria.
Daily reviews are an important part of every Mathematics lesson. These short, focused activities support students to practise key skills, strengthen mental computation, develop fluency and revisit prior learning. A strong emphasis is placed on explicitly teaching mathematical vocabulary so students can accurately interpret and make sense of word problems. By developing a shared understanding of mathematical language, students are better able to identify what a problem is asking, select appropriate strategies, and clearly explain their reasoning and solutions.
The school follows a Concrete–Representational–Abstract (CRA) approach to teaching Mathematics. Students first explore mathematical concepts using hands-on materials, then represent their thinking through drawings and visual models before progressing to abstract numbers and symbols. This approach ensures deep understanding before students move to more complex problem solving.
Teaching and learning programs address the four proficiencies of Fluency, Understanding, Reasoning and Problem Solving, enabling students to apply their mathematical knowledge in a range of contexts. Students requiring additional support access targeted numeracy interventions such as Bond Blocks, which provide structured, hands-on support to strengthen foundational number skills.
Science
Science is taught as a specialist subject from Year 1 to Year 6 and is aligned with the Western Australian Curriculum. Teaching focuses on nurturing curiosity and developing scientific inquiry skills through engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Each term, students focus on one of the 4 Science strands: Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences, or Physical Sciences. Students are encouraged to ask questions, make predictions, conduct investigations and communicate their findings. Learning is supported by a purpose-built Science laboratory that provides access to high-quality resources and equipment.
Digital Literacy
At Westminster Primary School, our approach to using technology is evolving beyond the use of digital tools towards a stronger and more deliberate focus on digital literacy. We recognise digital literacy as a vital capability that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and understanding they need to learn, communicate and solve problems in an increasingly complex digital world. As outlined in the curriculum, digital literacy complements and extends traditional literacy and numeracy, and we are committed to continuing to build our capacity in this area.
We aim to strengthen students’ ability to use digital tools purposefully, safely and creatively, while also developing their understanding of when and why particular technologies are best suited to different learning tasks. By embedding digital literacy more intentionally across learning areas, we seek to ensure students are not just users of technology, but thoughtful, critical and confident digital learners who can access, evaluate, and create information effectively.
A key priority moving forward is to deepen our focus on digital safety and wellbeing. We are committed to expanding learning opportunities that support students to protect their personal information, recognise trusted and reliable sources, communicate respectfully online and understand the impact of their digital choices on themselves and others. These skills will be taught in age-appropriate ways and revisited regularly, allowing students to build knowledge, resilience and ethical awareness as they progress through the school.
By continuing to strengthen our approach to digital literacy, Westminster Primary School aims to better prepare students for the digital demands of both their learning and their lives beyond school. Our focus is on developing confident, responsible and informed digital citizens who can engage positively and safely in online environments while using technology to enhance their learning and creativity.
Supporting Quality Teaching within High Performance Teams
High-quality teaching at Westminster Primary School is strengthened through collaborative planning, instructional coaching, and mentoring. Teachers participate in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), where they analyse data, share expertise, and plan collaboratively. Highly skilled teachers work alongside their colleagues in classrooms, providing feedback and support to refine practice. Ongoing professional learning ensures teaching practice remains informed by current research and aligned with the School Business Plan and continuous school improvement priorities.
A Knowledge-Rich Curriculum at Westminster Primary School
At Westminster Primary School, we believe strong learning begins with strong knowledge. Our knowledge-rich curriculum focuses on helping students build, retain, and connect knowledge over time, rather than simply accessing information when needed.
Students develop factual knowledge, such as vocabulary, key facts, and concepts, which builds the background knowledge they need to understand what they read, hear, and learn across all subjects. This background knowledge is essential for making sense of new ideas and for developing strong comprehension.
Alongside this, students learn procedural knowledge - the step-by-step processes and strategies used to work within each learning area. This includes learning how to solve mathematical problems, conduct investigations, write effectively and apply strategies with increasing independence.
We prioritise meaningful retention of knowledge so that learning is securely stored and easily recalled. When students do not need to rely on searching for information, they can focus their thinking on understanding, reasoning, and applying what they know in new and creative ways.
By carefully planning learning, revisiting key knowledge and making connections across learning areas, we support all students to develop deep understanding, confidence and a love of learning.
