At Warrnambool West Primary School, we follow the Victorian Department of Education’s evidence-based approach to teaching reading.

Learning to read is one of the most important skills your child will develop. Research shows that children learn to read best through explicit, structured teaching that builds strong foundations from the early years.

Our reading program focuses on helping students develop the key skills they need to become confident readers. This includes:

• Phonics – learning how letters and sounds work together
• Phonemic awareness – hearing and working with sounds in words
• Fluency – reading smoothly and accurately
• Vocabulary – understanding the meaning of words
• Comprehension – making meaning from what they read

In our classrooms, this means:

• Teachers clearly model and teach reading skills step-by-step
• Students practise regularly to build confidence and accuracy
• Learning is carefully sequenced so skills build over time
• Teachers monitor progress closely and provide support where needed
• Students are exposed to a wide range of rich and engaging texts

Our goal is for every child to become a confident, capable reader who can understand and enjoy what they read.