Cromer Public School has been recognised as one of the most improved NSW public schools for Year 1 Phonics. The recognition came about following a statewide phonics screening check.
Speaking to the screening check, Deputy Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said, “Students’ early years of schooling are critical as they develop the foundational skills to set them up for long-term academic success.”
“We are proud to recognise the efforts of schools across the state in evidenced-based phonics instruction, which is leading to improved outcomes for children across NSW.”
Cromer Public School’s Deputy Principal, Karen Moore, emphasised that the school has focused on evidence-based approaches to reading instruction, including thorough staff training.
“This learning has strengthened teachers’ understanding of how students learn to read and has supported the consistent implementation of explicit, systematic and targeted reading instruction across classrooms,” Ms Moore said.
Phonics learning is also encouraged outside of the classroom, such as through take-home decodable readers, which Ms Moore said ‘are sent home to reinforce classroom phonics instruction and provide students with opportunities to practise applying their phonics knowledge when reading.’
“The consistent use of these resources across classroom and home settings supports students to consolidate their decoding skills, build confidence and develop reading fluency.”