At Rosewood Downs Primary School, we are proud to be implementing a knowledge-rich curriculum—one that prioritises the systematic development of background knowledge across subject areas. Grounded in the research of educational experts such as E.D. Hirsch and Natalie Wexler, this approach recognises that knowledge is not just important for academic success—it is essential.

E.D. Hirsch’s decades of research show that students’ reading comprehension depends heavily on their prior knowledge. When students understand the topic they are reading about, they are better able to make inferences, connect ideas, and retain new information. As Hirsch famously argued, reading is not a "skill" that can be taught in isolation; rather, it is a reflection of what students know. Natalie Wexler builds on this in her book The Knowledge Gap, arguing that a failure to systematically build students’ knowledge base—especially in the early and middle years of schooling—has contributed to persistent inequities in literacy outcomes.

At RDPS, we have taken this research seriously. That’s why we have strategically connected our humanities and science units to high-quality novel studies, allowing students to build deep schema about the topics they encounter. Whether it's exploring colonisation through Convict Boy, environmental sustainability through The Last Bear, or scientific inquiry through Kensuke’s Kingdom, our students are not just reading stories—they are absorbing rich historical, geographical, and scientific knowledge that provides context for understanding the world and the texts they engage with.

This integrated, knowledge-building approach reduces cognitive load, enabling students to focus more mental energy on higher-order thinking, rather than struggling to make sense of unfamiliar references. As students develop domain-specific knowledge over time, they become more confident readers and writers, better problem-solvers, and more critically engaged learners.

By investing in a curriculum that builds knowledge systematically and meaningfully, we are equipping our students not just to succeed in school, but to thrive as informed, thoughtful citizens in the world beyond it.