A message from the Principal

One of the most exciting parts of leading SKiPPS is having the chance to walk through classrooms each day and see the incredible learning taking place. Over the past 12 months, our school has taken some big steps in refining our approach to teaching and learning—and already, the results are beginning to speak for themselves.

At the heart of these changes is a clear, research-informed commitment to explicit, teacher-led instruction. Our staff have worked incredibly hard to embed this approach across the curriculum, and we’re already seeing the difference in the confidence, engagement and achievement of our students.

A standout success so far has been our implementation of PhOrMeS, the reading and spelling program that’s now in place from Foundation to Year 6. In just over a term, our staff have not only embraced the program with energy and expertise—they’ve become leaders in this space. On Monday this week, we were incredibly proud to welcome the entire teaching team from South Melbourne Park Primary School, who visited to observe PhOrMeS in action as they prepare to roll it out in their own classrooms. It was a powerful moment for our school—proof of the professionalism and dedication of our staff, who were confident and ready to model best practice for visiting educators.

Across the school, we are placing a strong emphasis on teachers breaking down and clearly modelling new learning. Combined with high levels of student interaction—through strategies like mini-whiteboards, choral reading and turn-and-talk—we are seeing explicit instruction become central to our teaching of Maths, Literacy and Writing. Most importantly, we are seeing real evidence that students are not only learning more—but remembering and applying their knowledge more effectively over time.

Later in the week, our staff were learners themselves. On Wednesday, a team from SKiPPS spent the day at Bentleigh West Primary School, a school known Australia-wide for its success with explicit instruction and rigorous, evidence-based practice. As part of our involvement in the La Trobe University Momentum Project, this visit gave us the chance to observe teaching, connect with school leaders, and learn from a school with truly inspiring student achievement data.

Bentleigh West is a high-performing school where more than 25% of students have a diagnosed disability—yet they continue to achieve exceptional results, thanks to their relentless focus on high-quality instruction. Our team, myself included, took so much away from this experience and returned energised about how we can continue to improve and refine our work at SKiPPS.

We are incredibly proud of the journey we are on and the outcomes we are beginning to see. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing details of some upcoming information evenings and school tours, where families can hear more about our teaching and learning approaches and see what this looks like in action.

Thank you, as always, for your support and belief in our school and our work.

Warm regards,

Neil Scott

Principal