As we welcome students back to school and establish routines for the year ahead, our teaching teams are focused on igniting Deep Learning across all curriculum areas.
Deep Learning is about more than academic achievement alone. It is about developing the knowledge, skills and dispositions students need to thrive now and into the future. Across every Key Learning Area, teachers are intentionally designing purposeful, engaging and challenging learning experiences that invite students to think deeply, collaborate meaningfully and apply their learning in authentic contexts.
Central to this approach is our focus on the six core competencies that underpin deep learning. These competencies are explicitly taught, assessed and developed through rich learning tasks where students work together toward shared goals, solve problems, reflect on their learning and grow as confident, capable learners.
At the heart of our learning design is Agency in Learning, often referred to as the amplifier because of its powerful influence on all other competencies. When students develop agency, they become active drivers of their own learning rather than passive recipients.
Agency in learning goes well beyond voice and choice. It includes students learning to:
This focus aligns closely with the OECD Education 2030 goals, recognising that strong agency supports not only academic success but also student wellbeing and lifelong learning.
In the Primary School, Critical Thinking will be a guiding focus for 2026. This decision is informed by our 2025 data, which identified critical thinking as an area for growth for many students.
Using the Melbourne Metrics Quality Thinking framework, teachers will intentionally design learning experiences that support students to develop the following elements of critical thinking:
These capabilities will be explicitly modelled, practised and reflected upon across learning areas, helping students to become thoughtful, analytical and independent thinkers.
We value learning as a partnership and believe that families play an important role in supporting students to grow as learners.
Throughout the year, you will hear more about your child’s growth in these areas through progressive reports, parent–teacher interviews, student-led conversations, student-led conferences and learning showcases. These opportunities allow us to share not only what students are learning, but how they are developing the competencies and agency we value as part of their learning journey.
We encourage families to engage in reflective conversations with children about how they are growing as thinkers, collaborators and self-directed learners, and how they are taking increasing ownership of their learning.
Together, we look forward to a year of deep thinking, purposeful learning and strong student agency, as we ignite deep learning across our school community in 2026.
Mrs Sarah Jones
Deputy Director of Teaching and Learning
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Yii Birpai Barray – This is Birpai Country
Gathay Nyiirun Wakulda – Let us all go together as one!
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