New phonics focus and regular testing breeding young bookworms in NSW primary schools

Bookworms are born at Belmore South Public School, where team teaching and a focus on phonics have given children the gift of reading.

Year 3 teacher Ashleigh Kelly with Belmore South Public School pupils Maleta, Phoenix, Aarash and Candice. Picture: John Feder/The Australian

Bookworms are born at Belmore South Public School, where team teaching and a focus on phonics have given children the gift of reading.

Principal Lurlene Mitchell uses data analysis and close teamwork to ensure no child falls through the cracks at the school in Sydney’s southwest, where nearly half the students live in the 25 per cent poorest of families.

“It’s our core business to provide the best opportunities for these children,’’ she said.

“Every student is known, valued and cared for.’’

Year 3 teacher Ashleigh Kelly is thrilled to see students with their noses in a book during their lunch break.

“We use guided, explicit instruction in groups so we can target each student’s needs,’’ she said.

“It fosters a love of reading – we have students who always want to attend the classroom at lunchtime to read.’’

At Belmore South, children are tested regularly so teachers know which students are struggling, and who needs a challenge.

This year, the school became one of the first in NSW to adopt the state government’s new kindergarten-to-year 2 curriculum, which focuses on explicit instruction and phonics-based instruction to teach children to read.

Teachers are given on-the-job training, and two deputy principals move between classrooms to offer extra support as “instructional leaders’’.

A data team helps teachers interpret test results and track students’ progress.

In classrooms, students are split into small groups for reading, based on ability.

Extra “Covid recovery’’ teachers are brought in to target the highest performing students, to ensure they stay on track, while English-as-second-language teachers devote their time to struggling readers.