Curriculum

                                                  

Inquiry at Hampton

At Hampton Primary School, Inquiry Learning supports students to become engaged, thoughtful learners who are curious about the world and empowered to make a positive difference.

Students are inspired through provocations, carefully designed experiences such as images, objects, stories, excursions, or real-life problems that spark curiosity and encourage questions and investigation. Learning often extends beyond the classroom, with students exploring the school grounds and local environments to connect their learning to everyday life. They are also encouraged to take real action, such as caring for the environment, improving their school, or sharing their learning with others.  This year, students in Year 6 visited the Melbourne Gaol and Melbourne Parliament House as a provocation to their unit on Democracy. 

Through inquiry, students develop important skills including communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. Learning is carefully designed from Foundation to Year 6 so students move from hands-on exploration to deeper and more complex thinking as they progress through the school.

Inquiry learning also embeds key Victorian Curriculum priorities including Sustainability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, and Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia. These priorities help students develop environmental awareness, cultural understanding, and global thinking.

An audit is currently being conducted across the school’s inquiry program to review and strengthen how learning connects across curriculum areas and how real-world experiences are embedded. This work is helping ensure that inquiry learning is consistent, purposeful, and strongly aligned to the Victorian Curriculum, while also enhancing opportunities for meaningful, hands-on learning.

As part of this ongoing development, the Kitchen Garden Program is also being more intentionally integrated into Inquiry Learning. This strengthens connections to science, sustainability, and food production, helping students engage in authentic, real-life learning experiences.