At Melbourne Grammar, Junior Primary includes students in Prep to Year 2.
We want our youngest students to have a love of learning and a desire to achieve. In every lesson, our aim is to foster curiosity, enjoyment and the motivation to ‘do your best’, knowing this will support students throughout their education.
Our Junior Primary curriculum
During these first three years of education, as children grow and develop, their learning needs also dramatically transform. We structure our curriculum to match their changing cognitive, emotional and physical needs.
Our Junior Primary learning is structured around skill acquisition in the key areas of English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, and the Humanities, which includes History, Geography and more. In all these subjects, we offer a personalised approach to learning and encourage ‘visible thinking’ practices to make each child’s progress clear, allowing us to recognise growth and identify gaps.
The following additional subjects are taught by specialist staff:
• Art
• Health and Physical Education
• Library studies
• Mandarin
• Music
• Religious and Values Education (RAVE)
Instruction in playing a stringed instrument begins in Year 2.
Our I-CARE health and wellbeing program across all year levels provides students with dedicated time each week to participate in activities that support the development of social and emotional skills. Find out more about pastoral care at Grimwade here.
Outdoor education begins in Prep with day visits to our Forest school. Later students experience longer periods of time at camps, where opportunities for different approaches to learning are possible.
Learning through purposeful play
During these early years, we introduce the skills students need to manage classroom tasks and behaviour, and gradually introduce the concepts of community and teamwork. As we build the foundations for academic success, we also make time for intentional, structured play. This provides important opportunities for students to explore classroom concepts in their own ways, develop vital social skills, and to come to associate learning with having fun.
Find out more about purposeful play here.