Learning and Teaching News

This year has been an exciting and successful one for mathematics at our school! We have increased fluency practice, strengthened explicit instruction and introduced daily reviews to help consolidate student learning. We are constantly inspired by the determination of our students and the enthusiasm of our teachers as they dive deeply into mathematical learning together.

This week, our Year 3–6 students proudly took part in the Times Tables Rock Stars “Oz Rocks” competition, earning points for our school with every correct multiplication and division answer. Their effort and teamwork were outstanding, and we are thrilled to share that our school placed in the top 50 at one stage and finished 202nd out of 677 schools across Australia, an incredible achievement! Students demonstrated great perseverance and are already eager to take on the challenge again when new competitions arise next year.

As we complete our testing cycle for the year, we are delighted to see the strong growth our students have achieved in mathematics. The results reflect a positive trend across all year levels, with our overall school performance now sitting above the state mean.

We are extremely proud of these results, which highlight our whole-school commitment to continually enhancing the teaching and learning of mathematics. Our refreshed approach, featuring explicit instruction, daily reviews, and a balanced mix of open-ended, problem-solving tasks, has provided students with the structure, challenge, and support they need to succeed.

Through explicit instruction, students are developing a deep understanding of key mathematical concepts, while daily reviews strengthen retention and build confidence in applying prior knowledge. Open-ended tasks continue to foster creativity, reasoning, and collaboration, allowing every learner to engage in meaningful mathematical thinking.

We are proud of the way our teachers and students have embraced this approach, working together with enthusiasm and determination. The results are a testament not only to our evidence-based practices, but also to the effort, curiosity, and perseverance of our learners.

As we look ahead, we remain committed to building on this success and ensuring every student continues to develop both a strong foundation in mathematics and a genuine love of learning. Drawing on our recent data, we will identify areas of strength and gaps in knowledge to shape a clear and purposeful scope and sequence for the year ahead. Our focus will be on continually refining our practice, embedding more strategies for checking understanding, using data more effectively to guide instruction and setting clear, achievable learning goals for every student.

Lauren Middlebrook 

Mathematics Leader