English at Banyan Fields Primary School

At Banyan Fields, we believe every child has the potential to become a confident and capable reader, writer, and speaker. Our English program is grounded in an evidence-based approach aligned with the Victorian Government’s Reading Position and the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 — reflecting the Science of Learning and Reading.

Foundation to Year 2: Building Strong Foundations

In the early years, our school follows the Victorian Government’s approach to teaching reading, which emphasises evidence-based instruction and systematic synthetic phonics. Government primary schools are required to implement a structured literacy approach, including explicit daily teaching of phonics and phonemic awareness, to build a strong foundation for reading and spelling.

At our school, we use Little Learners Love Literacy® to explicitly teach the relationships between sounds and letters in a clear, structured sequence. Students learn to blend sounds to read words and segment sounds to spell them, building these skills step by step. Phonics is taught alongside other essential reading skills, including oral language, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension, helping students become accurate, fluent and confident readers who understand and enjoy what they read.

Letter to parents

More information for parents and carers can be found at:

https://www.littlelearnersloveliteracy.com.au/blogs/assessment/parents-and-carers

Years 3 to 6: Deepening Literacy Skills

As students progress, they engage in rich novel studies that expand vocabulary, strengthen grammar, and refine sentence-level writing. Through literary analysis, they explore characters, themes, and connections across diverse texts — developing critical thinking and expressive skills.

Across All Year Levels: Language, Literacy & Literature

Our English curriculum is built around three key strands:

• Language: Understanding how language works
• Literacy: Applying language skills in real-world contexts
• Literature: Engaging with texts creatively and thoughtfully

We are committed to delivering high-quality, inclusive, and engaging English instruction that