Why is the approach to teaching, including the approach to teaching reading, changing in Victoria?

What do the changes look like?

What does it mean for education equity and engagement?

How can the community sector support the success of the reforms?

Victorian students achieve among the strongest educational outcomes in the nation. But the gap in educational outcomes between students experiencing disadvantage and their peers persists. Too many Victorian children and young people are locked out of opportunity because they haven’t been supported to develop foundational literacy at school.

In June 2024, the Victoria Government outlined their plans to implement explicit teaching, including in systematic synthetic phonics programs, across government schools from 2025.

From term 1 next year, there will be a particular focus on phonics instruction in the early years including daily phonics lessons for Prep to Grade 2 students, use of systematic synthetic phonics (teaching letter-sound relationships), integration with comprehensive reading programs covering oral language, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension and the implementation of an updated Victorian Teaching and Learning Model.

The changes will create a more consistent approach to teaching and learning across Victoria, aligning with current evidence on the most effective practices for improving literacy, numeracy and other academic outcomes as well as student wellbeing.

On Tuesday December 3, VCOSS, in collaboration with the Department of Education, will host an information session to provide community sector organisations with information about the teaching reform landscape in schools.

The session will provide an opportunity for you to ask questions, raise issues and share your opinions and ideas on how the Department and schools should work with our sector to ensure this reform advances education equity.

Guest speakers from the Department of Education will include: Juliette Cox (A/Executive Director Curriculum and Teaching Practice Division), Lucinda Edselius (A/Director Teaching and Learning), Tim Wilson (A/Director Lesson Plans) and Louise Stewart (Director Literacy, Languages, the Arts and Humanities)

About the Victorian Council of Social Service
VCOSS is the peak representative body for Victoria’s social and community sector, and the state’s leading social advocacy organisation. We work towards creating a Victoria that is fair, just and inclusive. A society where nobody is trapped by poverty, and everybody is supported to live a life of wellbeing.

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