Curriculum
A Truly International Education – Our Aim is High
All learning and teaching programmes at McKinnon Primary School are based on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and encompass the Victorian Curriculum F-10.
McKinnon Primary School is committed to providing a learning environment that is always at the forefront of the most current and recognised teaching and learning theories and practices. As a Department of Education and Training school, we have access to the best available education resources, enabling our teachers to support our students in learning and enjoying learning as a lifelong endeavour.
McKinnon Primary School is contemporary in its approach to educating our students. They learn in an environment conducive to preparing them for a rapidly changing world that demands technological capacity and intelligence, heightened interpersonal skills, significant emotional intelligence, resilience, and strong English and Mathematical skills.
At McKinnon Primary School, we believe that your involvement in your child’s learning is crucial. We value your support in optimising your child’s learning and development. We encourage you to be involved where possible, whether it be through reading at home with them, supporting and encouraging your child’s independence appropriate to their age, or simply being positive about school and learning.
McKinnon Primary School students have a distinguished history as outstanding graduates from their early years and primary programs. They have established themselves as innovative, reflective learners in their new settings. McKinnon Primary School graduates have also demonstrated leadership skills that have been respected by peers and educators alike in their new school environments.
Our teachers’ professionalism, instructional capacity, and accountability are fundamental to students’ education. We ensure each child’s learning is scaffolded in their learning zone. Significant resources are applied to ensure our teachers provide quality instruction and evidence-based student outcomes.
Literacy
Our literacy program is designed to cultivate strong foundational skills and foster a love for language in every student. We are committed to providing a comprehensive literacy education that is embedded across all learning areas, following the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP). Our approach combines explicit instruction with inquiry-based learning, ensuring students develop the skills they need to become confident readers, writers, and communicators.
Our literacy lessons follow a whole-school instructional model that includes explicit teaching, guided practice, and time for exploration. Every day, two hours are dedicated to literacy skill development, ensuring that students have ample time to engage deeply with reading, writing, speaking, and listening tasks.
Foundation to Year 2
Foundation to Year 2
In the early years, we emphasize a solid grounding in literacy through an explicit, systematic synthetic phonics program. This approach ensures that students master the relationship between letters and sounds, empowering them to decode words and build fluency in reading. We integrate rich mentor texts linked to our units of inquiry, which serve as models for reading comprehension and critical thinking. These texts are carefully chosen to align with our transdisciplinary themes, allowing students to explore concepts in depth while honing their literacy skills.
Speaking and Listening
We recognize the importance of strong communication skills, which is why we provide regular opportunities for students to practice speaking and listening in both informal and formal settings. These activities are integrated across the curriculum and designed to help students articulate their ideas confidently, listen actively, and respond thoughtfully.
Years 3 to 6
Years 3 to 6
As students progress into the upper years, our focus shifts towards refining and expanding their literacy abilities. Rich mentor texts, linked to our transdisciplinary themes, continue to be an integral part of developing reading and writing skills. Reading comprehension strategies are used to support students to explore complex concepts and write about these across a variety of text types. Students are taught to understand and use key components of writing such as the development of ideas, text and sentence organisation and effective use of vocabulary. We use ‘bump it up’ walls to make expectations clear and to help students set and achieve personalized writing goals. Students engage in a consistent, sequential spelling program that builds on their prior knowledge and strengthens their spelling skills through explicit, daily instruction.
Speaking and Listening
We recognize the importance of strong communication skills, which is why we provide regular opportunities for students to practice speaking and listening in both informal and formal settings. These activities are integrated across the curriculum and designed to help students articulate their ideas confidently, listen actively, and respond thoughtfully.
Maths
At McKinnon Primary School, students are immersed in engaging real-world problems, and they are encouraged to collaborate through guided exploration. Our approach combines explicit teaching with high-quality problem-solving tasks, ensuring students build strong foundational mathematics skills while applying their understanding to a real-world context.
Through their engagements, students are supported by a ‘mathematical toolbox’ of strategies and resources that they can draw upon to solve complex problems. Central to our program is the McKinnon Primary ‘Mathematical Mantra’, which fosters a growth mindset and perseverance in mathematics, helping students see challenges as opportunities for growth and learning.
McKinnon Primary School’s mathematics program is structured around the four mathematical proficiencies: Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving, and Reasoning. These proficiencies are integrated into every lesson to help students become highly skilled problem solvers. Together, these proficiencies empower our students to approach mathematics with confidence and curiosity and equip them with the skills they need for future learning.
Maths Mantra
Anyone can learn maths to a high level
Believe in yourself
Struggle andmistakes help our brain grow
Speed is not always important
Mathematical Proficiencies
Reasoning
Problem Solving
Fluency
Understanding
PYP | Inquiry
At McKinnon Primary School, your child will embark on an educational journey that is truly international in design and delivery. This is a unique opportunity that we believe is one of the greatest gifts for a child of the 21st century. Our students move beyond the mere acquisition of knowledge into the realms of skill building and the development of reflective attitudes towards life and community.
McKinnon Primary School students are encouraged to explore the concepts underlying their learning topics and respond to situations confidently and responsibly. These qualities build global citizenship and the ability of a student to move seamlessly from school to school or country to country. They also support the ongoing development of curiosity, creativity, the purpose of vision, and the foundation skills of a lifelong learner.
Wellbeing
At McKinnon Primary School, student wellbeing is embedded in everything we do. We have created a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment where every student can thrive. We believe in consistent, individualised approaches that cater to each student’s unique needs, ensuring all children feel valued and respected. Our commitment to differentiation and cultural inclusion underpins our practices, allowing us to celebrate diversity while providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students.
We emphasise the importance of student voice in our wellbeing model, empowering students to express their needs, concerns, and ideas. Evidence-based practices guide our approaches, incorporating programs like the Zones of Regulation, Restorative Practices, mindfulness and gratitude. These tools nurture self-regulation, emotional awareness, and positive peer relationships and develop a growth mindset in our students. Through proactive support and clear expectations, we work together as a school community to create an environment where students feel confident, heard, and supported in their growth.
Wellbeing at McKinnon Primary School is a collective responsibility. Staff, students, and families collaborate to build a culture of respect and inclusion. We prioritise safety and the holistic development of each student, balancing high expectations with a deep understanding of individual challenges. By fostering connections, practising empathy, and implementing tailored strategies, we strive to cultivate a school community where every child feels empowered to reach their full potential.
Student Agency
At McKinnon Primary, students are involved in agentic learning in a myriad of ways. Every classroom has a class-constructed definition of Learning Agency and evidence of students being key drivers in their own learning. Students regularly reflect on their learning and set goals for what they want to improve on in the future.
Specialists
Our students participate in a range of specialist programmes, including LOTE – Mandarin, Performing Arts, Physical Education and Visual Arts. As students progress through the school, they have the opportunity to participate in inter-school sports, instrumental music and camps.
Student Leadership
There is a strong emphasis on student leadership, and leadership opportunities exist through our Student Representative Council, school captaincy and sports house system, further complementing the leadership in classrooms and the learning program.
Sister School
The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, the National Statement on Asia Literacy in Australian Schools and the Prime Ministerial White Paper, provide a clear statement on specific goals for our students. These include gaining foundational and in-depth knowledge, skills and understanding of the histories, geographies, societies, arts, literatures and languages of diverse countries of Asia and their engagement with Australia.
The National Curriculum outlines Asian Studies, Aboriginal Studies and Sustainability as priorities for all students.
The most exciting outcome has been the establishment of our sister-school partnership with Changzhou Miduqiao Primary School in the Jiangsu Province of China. As international partners we will be sharing professional learning experiences, teacher visits, teacher exchanges, whole school student interaction through various ICT opportunities and student visits/tours both from China and to China. McKinnon Primary School has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between Friendly Schools.