Curriculum
Our Learning – Curriculum
At Richmond Primary School, we are committed to supporting every student to develop confidence, a strong sense of self-worth, and the skills to thrive in all aspects of life. We aim to empower learners to take responsibility for their wellbeing, contribute positively to their community, and develop a lifelong love of learning. Our curriculum is central to achieving these goals.
Richmond Primary School implements the new South Australian Curriculum, adapted from the Australian Curriculum (Version 9) to reflect our local context, vision, and values. The curriculum provides purposeful and engaging learning experiences that support each child’s academic, social, emotional, and physical development from Reception to Year 10.
Students develop knowledge, understanding, and skills across eight learning areas:
• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Health and Physical Education (HPE)
• Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)
• The Arts
• Technologies
• Languages
The South Australian Curriculum incorporates three important dimensions:
• Learning Standards
• Essential Learnings
• Capabilities and Dispositions
Embedded across all learning areas are the general capabilities that help students become successful learners and active citizens:
• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
• Critical and Creative Thinking
• Personal and Social Capability
• Ethical Understanding
• Intercultural Understanding
The curriculum also promotes important learning dispositions such as curiosity, resilience, collaboration, persistence, and self-regulation. These qualities support students to become confident, motivated, and engaged learners who are prepared for the future.
At Richmond Primary School, we use high-impact teaching strategies to create engaging, challenging, and supportive learning environments. These include:
• Differentiated teaching to meet individual learning needs,
• Clear learning intentions and success criteria,
• Intentional sequencing of learning,
• Explicit teaching,
• Multiple approaches to learning,
• And ongoing feedback to support student growth.
Our approach ensures that all students are supported to achieve success while developing the knowledge, capabilities, and dispositions needed for lifelong learning. We are proud to provide a curriculum that connects learning across subject areas and empowers students to be curious, resilient learners who belong, collaborate, and thrive.
https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
https://www.sacurriculum.sa.edu.au/home
http://docs.acara.edu.au/resources/The_Australian_Curriculum_an_overview_for_parents.pdf
Visual Arts/Media Arts
Science
Learning in Science aims to ensure that students develop an interest in science as a means of expanding their curiosity and willingness to explore, ask questions about and speculate on the changing world in which they live.
There are six key ideas that represent key aspects of a scientific view of the world and bridge knowledge and understanding across the disciplines of science. In brief these are; Patterns, order and organisation, Form and function, Stability and change, Scale and measurement, Matter and energy and Systems. These are embedded within each year level description and guide the teaching/learning emphasis for the relevant year level. The three interrelated strands of science; science understanding, science as a human endeavour and science inquiry skills.
Physical Education
Each class enjoys daily fitness lessons. A whole school Sports Day is held annually and receives strong support from our community. Upper primary students also may have the opportunity to participate in inter-school and district sports events (Year 5-7 SAPSASA sport).
Language Other Than English (LOTE) – Italian
These lessons include parts of socialising, informing, creating, translating, reflecting, systems of language, variation and change and the role of language and culture.
Literacy
At Richmond Primary, our shared vision is for every student to receive high-quality literacy instruction, empowering them to become articulate, capable communicators and informed citizens. Our rigorous literacy program ensures students confidently comprehend and create a range of written, visual, and oral texts, both at school and in their everyday lives.
We implement a whole school approach in selecting curriculum-aligned programs and effective teaching practices, particularly those that support English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) learners. This consistency enables all students to achieve strong literacy outcomes across all areas of the curriculum. Our literacy approach is informed by current research and ongoing data collection and analysis. We regularly review our pedagogical practices to ensure they are up-to-date, evidence-based, and aligned with best practice.
Assessment data is systematically gathered and analysed in all areas of literacy, allowing us to deliver differentiated programs that both enrich and support student learning, and provide timely interventions for those who need additional help. As part of our comprehensive assessment suite, we utilise the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). DIBELS provides valuable data on students’ foundational literacy skills, enabling teachers to identify students who require support and to monitor the effectiveness of interventions over time.
Language and literacy are taught explicitly using a genre-based, functional grammar model, and students regularly engage with high-quality literature. Reception to Year 2 students participate in the Initial Lit program—an evidence-based, whole-class approach building essential foundations in reading and writing. Decodable texts are carefully chosen to reinforce specific phonics patterns and develop early reading confidence.
Our reading program is anchored by The Big 6 of Reading, ensuring students develop essential competencies in oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Evidence-based reading comprehension strategies are explicitly taught at all year levels, supporting both group and independent learning. For students who have become independent readers, we provide access to a wide range of high-quality texts, ensuring they are engaged with authentic literature appropriate to their interests and abilities.
For more information;
https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/literacy/
Mathematics
At Richmond Primary, our vision is for every student to experience high-quality mathematics teaching that fosters a deep understanding and genuine confidence in numeracy—both in the classroom and everyday life. Our dedicated teachers empower students to become motivated and capable mathematicians through engaging, challenging, and hands-on learning experiences.
Through ongoing collaboration, our staff utilise the SA Curriculum, research-based methods, and whole-school data to ensure our approach is consistent, evidence-informed, and continuously improving.
We focus on developing strong number sense across all year levels, aiming to increase the proportion of students achieving in the higher bands for numeracy. Our balanced mathematics curriculum is guided by the Australian Curriculum/SA Curriculum and enriched by the Big Ideas in Number framework—including trusting the count, place value, multiplicative thinking, partitioning, proportional reasoning, and generalising—to ensure every child progresses through a logical sequence of concepts and strategies.
As numeracy expert Di Siemon notes:
“For students to be numerate, concepts need to be experienced, strategies need to be scaffolded, and everything needs to be discussed for them to learn with understanding.”
In our classrooms, numeracy learning is designed to strengthen children’s number sense—the flexibility, strategies, and understanding necessary to use mathematics confidently in varied situations. Through regular assessment and careful data analysis, our teachers tailor learning to meet individual needs, ensuring every student is supported and challenged.
Richmond Primary is well resourced with classroom manipulatives, online programs, mental strategy progressions, and teacher professional learning, all supporting a vibrant environment for numeracy learning.
For parents and carers seeking more information on how to support their child’s mathematics learning, please visit the Australian Curriculum – Mathematics website.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths)
STEM teaching and learning looks different across every class at every school, some examples of what students learning STEM could be engaged in:
- 3D Printing
- Green screen technology
- Coding
- Designing and building prototypes like windmills and solar cars technologies
- Robotics
- Virtual Reality Kit
- Problem solving ( related to local and world issues)
- Oliphant Science Awards involvement
Resource Centre
The Richmond Primary School Resource Centre/Library is a continually evolving space, which is enjoyed by the whole school community. It houses a carefully curated selection of books including picture books, non-fiction, teacher resources and various novels and chapter books. Students are encouraged to borrow books every week and to discover ones that are a ‘good fit’ for them. Students are encouraged to participate in the Premiers Reading Challenge every year.
In addition to the Premiers Reading Challenge, the Resource Centre is involved in the Little Big Book Swap, Scholastic Book Fairs and Book Clubs, organising of author and reading ambassador visits as well as promoting reading during the Children’s Book Council Awards (CBCA) National Book Week.
The Resource Centre/Library provides an independent learning hub where classes and small groups engage in inquiry based learning using the various traditional and digital resources available.
Student Wellbeing
At Richmond Primary School, we are committed to fostering a safe and positive learning environment for all students. Our approach to behaviour support aligns with the Department for Education’s Behaviour Support Policy, which emphasises the importance of promoting respectful and inclusive behaviours.
Our Approach:
· Positive Behaviour Support: We believe that positive behaviour can be learned and that our school environment can be structured to support effective teaching and learning for every child. Our strategies include teaching and modelling productive behaviours and setting clear expectations.
· Inclusive Practices: We aim to include all students in learning activities, respecting their individual needs and promoting their social and emotional development. Our staff work collaboratively with families and professionals to understand and support each child’s unique context.
· Equitable Responses: Our responses to behaviours of concern are fair and consistent, fostering trust and confidence within our school community. We focus on repairing and restoring relationships and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all involved.
· Community Engagement: We actively involve parents, caregivers, and community members in supporting positive behavioural change. Together, we create a supportive network that encourages students to contribute positively to their learning environment and the wider community.
Our Values and Restorative Justice:
At Richmond, we want all of our students to feel safe and happy. We encourage students to use the school values—Respect, Inclusivity, Courage, and Empathy. This is something we know you feel is important too. When incidents occur at school, it is paramount that we work together to ensure that everyone feels issues are resolved fairly and in a timely manner.
Richmond’s Restorative Justice Process allows us to create opportunities for students to:
· Become aware of the impact of their behaviour
· Take responsibility for their actions
· Take steps forward to making things right
When working alongside your child, we believe we can make positive changes by using Restorative Justice Practices, which are inclusive and collaborative, to restore relationships and rectify harm caused. All students have the opportunity to share their perspective and points of view. All students involved in the incident work together to:
· Identify agreed solutions
· Put solutions into action
· Achieve a positive outcome
We are dedicated to providing a nurturing and inclusive environment where every student can thrive. For more information on behaviour support strategies please visit the Behaviour support in schools including suspension and exclusion page on the Department for Education’s website.
Stretch Programs
To further support student engagement and achievement, we offer a range of Stretch Programs designed to enrich, extend, and accelerate learning. These opportunities may include:
• Differentiation and Acceleration: Modifying the pace, level, and content of teaching, learning, and assessment activities in the classroom to meet individual student needs.
• Curriculum Compacting: Assessing each student’s current level of learning and prioritising areas of the curriculum that have not yet been mastered, ensuring students are continually challenged with new content.
• Participation in Academic Competitions and Challenges: Students may take part in competitions such as ICAS (Years 3–6) for Science, English, and Mathematics, the Australian Maths Competition and Challenge, the Oliphant Science Awards, and other academic opportunities.
• Maths Masters Program: This initiative aims to build students’ confidence in mathematics, encourage reflective practice, and promote perseverance when faced with challenges. Through collaboration, problem-solving, and creative thinking, students will be empowered to become resilient and resourceful learners.
Our approach ensures we meet the diverse needs of all students, optimise opportunities for success, and develop the capabilities and dispositions essential for lifelong learning.
