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TERM 3- 2026

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Back to basics: how this school's phonics focus is boosting reading results

By Michelle Smith, published on August 5 2026 in the Ballarat Courier

Faster-paced lessons, daily reviews and whole class teaching is translating into big learning gains for grade 3 students at Buninyong Primary School.

The skills of the Buninyong students are soaring and the latest national NAPLAN results, released on August 5, back the new approach the school is teaching.

Buninyong Primary School assistant principal Nicole Phillips said, since starting prep, the current crop of grade 3 pupils had been taught using explicit phonics and a more explicit style of teaching in general.

"The changes we made over a few years, we're starting to see those green shoots come through, which is great," Ms Phillips said.

The biggest improvement has been in their reading results.

"What we connect that to is our shift, probably back in the start of 2023, to teaching of explicit phonics in our prep to two and training, and a lot of investment in professional learning for our teachers," she said.

Early shift to explicit phonics

In 2024, then education minister Ben Carroll mandated that, from 2025, a minimum of 25 minutes of daily explicit teaching of phonics must be completed in every prep to grade 2 class.

Buninyong had already made the switch in 2023 to phonics, which is a back-to-basics approach where children learn to 'decode' the sounds that different letters make.

Teachers have adopted different assessment methods so they know almost immediately whether students have grasped new concepts or need extra support, teaching is more consistent, and whole class learning is now the norm.

"We've shifted from the model where they might get 10 minutes at the start of a lesson of whole class teaching then break into groups ... then at the end you might gather again for a reflection," Ms Phillips said.

"Now the majority of the time the students are getting that whole class teaching. The teachers are seeing the errors in real time, and they're responding to them."

Lessons move along quickly with students using mini whiteboards to practise new skills, and there are more opportunities for students to respond and be accountable in their learning.

"It's a fast-paced lesson and everyone is involved. There's an expectation that you're in and that you respond and if you're not, the teacher will say 'what are you thinking?'"

Buninyong Primary grade three pupils Finn, Leo, Bobbi and Addison are excited about their NAPLAN results. Picture by Lachlan Bence

Daily reviews building long-term memory

A quick daily review, particularly for maths, also helps lay down new knowledge into their long-term memory.

"They say they like their daily review and it helps them remember," Ms Phillips said.

The explicit teaching is also being rolled out throughout the school, with Buninyong's grade 5 students also showing consistent growth.

"That relative growth, from grade three to five, we sometimes have good year-on-year results but our growth data wasn't always positive," Ms Phillips said. "But we've got some really strong and consistent growth in reading and also with our numeracy and spelling.

"It's a really clear understanding now as a school about the direction we're heading ... and a culmination of making sure we have consistent approaches and opportunities for teachers to collaborate."

Bucking national trends

The 2026 NAPLAN National Results found average reading scores in years 5, 7 and 9 had fallen since last year.

About two in three students achieve at the 'strong' or 'exceeding' proficiency level for their reading, numeracy and writing skills at a similar level to recent years.

But disparities continue to exist in the achievements of students from regional and remote areas, Indigenous students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"This needs to be a continuing focus for all in the coming years," said Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority chief executive Stephen Gniel.