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Curriculum

At Queenscliff Primary School, we use the Victorian Curriculum to design our engaging teaching and learning programs in Numeracy. Key learning areas for Numeracy include Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability. The Victorian Mathematics Curriculum incorporates the Australian Curriculum and reflects Victorian priorities and standards. Students in all year levels are timetabled to receive a minimum of six hours of numeracy per week.

Four Proficiencies

Numeracy lesson sequences are designed to build student capacity in the four Mathematical proficiencies of

  • Fluency
  • Reasoning
  • Problem Solving
  • Understanding

Numeracy Instructional Model

Queenscliff Primary School teachers embed the Numeracy Instructional Model into all curriculum planning and lessons to ensure consistency and evidence-based practice across all year levels. At our school, we follow a structured and evidence-based Numeracy Instructional Model designed to support every student’s mathematical growth. Our approach includes:

  • Fluency: Building speed and accuracy with number facts and mental strategies to boost confidence and problem-solving.
  • Daily Review and Retrieval of Prior Learning: Strengthening memory and understanding by revisiting key concepts regularly.
  • Explicit Teaching: Clearly modelling and explaining new concepts in a step-by-step way to ensure all students know what success looks like.
  • Guided Practice: Providing supported learning opportunities where students practise new skills with teacher guidance and feedback.
  • Purposeful Practice: Engaging in meaningful tasks that reinforce learning and deepen understanding. An opportunity for application of new learning.
  • Review of Learning: Reflecting on the lesson to consolidate knowledge and identify next steps.

This model ensures a consistent and supportive learning environment where students can thrive in numeracy.

Our Mathematics curriculum and lessons incorporate explicit teaching of Mathematical vocabulary and metalanguage, fluency practice, exploration of concepts using hands-on and concrete learning materials, application to the real world to enhance students understanding and connection and are differentiated to cater to individual student needs.

The Mathematics Curriculum at Queenscliff Primary School aims to ensure that students:

  • Develop useful mathematical and numeracy skills for everyday life, work and as an active and critical citizen in a technological world
  • Identify connections and apply mathematical concepts, skills and processes to pose and solve problems in Mathematics and in other subject areas and contexts
  • Appreciate Mathematics as a subject – its history, ideas, concepts, problems and its real world application


Formative Assessment

At Queenscliff Primary School, teachers use ongoing formative assessment practices to continually monitor student understanding of Mathematical concepts. This assessment data is used effectively to inform learning programs to ensure numeracy lessons are targeted at individual student’s learning need.

Before undertaking a unit of work within the Mathematics sub-strands of the Victorian Curriculum, our teachers conduct a pre-assessment to determine students’ understanding and knowledge (prior knowledge) and identify any key misconceptions. This data is analysed and reviewed by our teachers and Curriculum Leaders to inform the planning and delivery of a numeracy lesson sequence, and to ensure all learning needs are catered for at their point of need. Throughout the unit, teachers actively collect and collate formative assessment data to inform their understanding of students’ Mathematical knowledge and skills.

Our teachers conduct a post-assessment at the end of the numeracy unit and compare and analyse the results with the pre-assessment to determine each students’ growth and further misconceptions to inform future planning.

Problem Solving and Numeracy Online

From Prep to Year 6 we incorporate a weekly dedicated problem-solving session, using real world problems. Problem solving strategies are explicitly taught using the Numeracy Instructional Model. Strategies are taught to students at a whole-class level and teachers differentiate the application of these strategies to learning tasks to meet each student at their point of need, so that they can expand their repertoire and knowledge of problem-solving strategies. Our teachers have developed a comprehensive problem-solving Scope and Sequence that aligns with the four Mathematical proficiencies of the Victorian Curriculum to enable students the opportunities to expand their problem-solving toolkit throughout their learning journey at QPS.

Matific is a digital tool, aligned with the Victorian Curriculum, used by Queenscliff Primary School teachers to support students understanding of Mathematical concepts. Matific provides teachers with a platform to set tasks in all key learning areas of Numeracy, to suit the learning needs of individual students. These assigned tasks can be accessed both in the classroom and at home for further practise and development of Numeracy skills.

Our problem solving sessions promote collaborative conversations amongst students following the process of explicit teaching. Students are encouraged to:

  • Estimate
  • Use concrete materials
  • Apply the modelled strategy with prompts
  • Discover and collaborate with their peers
  • Explore and compare strategies and their efficiency in finding a solution
  • Provide reasoning for their problem-solving using Mathematical language with their peers and teacher

Numeracy Enrichment - Maths Olympiad

Students in Year 4 to 6 participate in Maths Olympiad and Maths Explorer programs for Numeracy enrichment. The programs aim to provide our students with the chance to engage in high-level mathematical thinking beyond the standard curriculum.

Key Benefits of the Programs:

  • Enhances problem-solving and analytical skills
  • Encourages creative and independent thinking
  • Boosts confidence in tackling challenging mathematical problems
  • Provides an opportunity to compete at a national and international level
  • Develops teamwork and collaboration through peer learning

Students participate in Maths Olympiad and Maths Explorer for one hour a week. They participate in four contests throughout the year against students across Australia, New Zealand and southeast Asia. Students are selected to join the program based on their academic ability in Mathematics and demonstrated work habits.



Problem Solving Strategies

Fundamental problem solving strategies taught from Prep to Year 6 at Queenscliff Primary School include:

  • Create a table
  • Draw a diagram
  • Guess and Check
  • Using an Organised List
  • Act it Out or Roleplay
  • Identify a Pattern
  • Make a Model
  • Working Backwards
  • Use an Equation or Number Sentence

Numeracy at Home

Together with the support of families, we aim to develop confident Mathematicians who can navigate real world problems using their Numeracy skills. There are many ways that parents and carers can encourage fun activities into home practice, including:

  • play board games and card games with their children
  • count collections of pegs or toy cars
  • group items by colour or shape
  • add items together by counting on
  • measure ingredients while cooking
  • measure and cut materials for building projects
  • calculate the points scored whilst watching your football team play
  • order leaves and sticks from longest to shortest
  • read a train or bus timetable together

Our teachers deliver Parent Numeracy Workshops aimed at supporting parents with games and activities they can use to support their child at home in develop core Numeracy concepts and skills.