Tuesday, 10 September 2024

South Melbourne Primary School

Nina TAYLOR (Albert Park) (19:15): (828) My adjournment is for the Minister for Education. The action I seek is for the Minister for Education to visit South Melbourne Primary School to discuss with principal Noel Creece their experiences – that is, of the school – with explicit instruction and phonics. The phonics reforms announced by the minister have been widely welcomed across the community and are backed by evidence that shows phonics instruction is the most effective approach to teaching reading. They will ensure that every student will have a solid foundation and understanding of literacy as they progress through their education. I recently visited South Melbourne Primary School, the first vertical school in Victoria, built back in 2018, and it was wonderful to speak to the original students now approaching their graduation. This is a fantastic school in my electorate that is leading the way in explicit teaching and phonics instruction, with these techniques already well established in the school. As part of the phonics-in-schools rollout, listening to schools sharing their positive experiences will provide valuable peer-to-peer engagement and promote best practice amongst schools.