Knowledge Rich Curriculum

In 2024, we introduced a Knowledge Rich Curriculum at St Francis of Assisi.

This approach places a strong focus on Reading and Writing as the foundation for all learning, while also incorporating key areas from the Victorian Curriculum, including Geography, History, Civics and Citizenship, as well as elements of Science and the four Capabilities:

  • Critical and Creative Thinking

  • Ethical Understanding

  • Personal and Social Capability

  • Intercultural Understanding

Each unit in our Knowledge Rich Curriculum is carefully designed to progressively build on students' prior knowledge and skills and provide all students with a shared foundation of essential knowledge. The content is thoughtfully selected to ensure every student can access and succeed in their learning.

Our lessons follow the Explicit Instruction model - a clear and direct teaching approach in which the teacher explains exactly what students need to learn, step by step, with lots of guidance, modelling, and practice.

Since implementing a knowledge-rich curriculum, we have seen a noticeable increase in student engagement and academic achievement.

Our NAPLAN data shows the positive growth our students are making.

We have seen a steady decrease in the number of students in the ‘Needs Additional Support’ and ‘Developing’ categories since the introduction of Knowledge Rich curriculum.

In June 2025, Principal Michelle Gillett, along with Tom Quaife and Denice Brock, presented at the Core Knowledge Foundation National Conference in Orlando, Florida. They shared our school’s journey, the impact of our Knowledge Rich Curriculum, and the teaching strategies that are helping all students thrive.