At Oakwood Primary School, we believe in fostering a dynamic learning environment in the early years of schooling (Kindy – Year 2) that prioritises hands-on exploration and positive relationships, blending high impact explicit teaching with intentional play-based learning to establish strong foundations in literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills. We emphasise the relevance of learning by connecting it to children’s lives, experiences, and interests, creating a stimulating educational atmosphere where every child can thrive and develop a deep understanding of the world around them.
Intentional Play-Based Learning aka ‘Oakwood Learning’
We prioritise child-centered approaches, where students are active participants in their learning journey, driving their exploration and discovery. In our early years classes and play areas, you will witness a vibrant environment where children are encouraged to explore and engage in safe risk-taking, fostering resilience and independence. Provocations linked to intentional teaching focuses are strategically placed to stimulate learning and inquiry. Children are empowered with freedom of choice, with a variety of play experiences designed to cater to the whole child, nurturing social, emotional, and resilience skills.
Students in our Kindy to Year 2 classes engage in multiple investigation sessions each week whereby students can pursue their interests and practice class learning intentions through different open-ended experiences. Investigations starts and end with the teacher scaffolding the student’s learning and drawing attention to the current class learning intentions, making connections between the student’s experiences and the current learning focus.
High Impact Explicit Teaching
In our Kindy to Year 2 classrooms, we deliver high impact explicit teaching approaches whereby student academic needs are met and challenged. Student progress and achievement is carefully monitored, and feedback is provided in timely manner. Our whole school approaches in Early Childhood include:
- Heggerty – Phonological Awareness
- Cracking the Code – Phonological Awareness
- Talk for Writing – Writing
- Whole Class Reading – Reading
- UFLI – Synthetic Phonics
- Paul Swan Maths – Maths