Torbanlea State School
Curriculum Overview
Our Commitment to High-Quality Teaching and Learning
At Torbanlea State School, our curriculum is grounded in the Australian Curriculum, aligned with Education Queensland's K–12 Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework (K-12 Framework), and strengthened through the evidence‑based practices of Dr Lyn Sharratt's 14 Parameters.
Our priority is ensuring every student experiences success through precision teaching, shared clarity of learning, and collaborative professional practice across the school aligned with the Brighter Futures strategy for educational excellence.
Australian Curriculum Implementation
Our Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Plan (CARP) ensures consistent, whole‑school delivery of all Australian Curriculum learning areas from Prep to Year 6, with an emphasis on developing the whole child academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.
Learning Areas
- English
- Mathematics (Number, Algebra, Measurement, Space, Statistics, Probability)
- Science – Chemical, Biological, Physical, Earth and Space
- HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) – History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship & Economics and Business
- Delivered by specialist teacher: Mrs Megan Clague
- Technologies (Design and Digital)
- The Arts – Visual Arts, Music, Media Arts, Dance, Drama
- Delivered by specialist teacher: Mrs Stacey Baxter
- Health & Physical Education (HPE)
- Delivered by specialist teacher: Miss Requeal Cox
- Languages (LOTE) – Chinese (Years 4–6)
- Delivered by specialist teacher: Mrs Natalie Chan
Planning With Precision
Our planning processes reflect the Department of Education's three levels of planning and are strengthened by Lyn Sharratt's focus on shared clarity, collaborative data analysis, and intentional, precise teaching.
1. Whole-School Curriculum Planning Accountability
Led by the Principal (Mr Peter Genrich) and Deputy Principal – Curriculum (Mrs Lana Schijvens):
- Ensures fidelity to the Australian Curriculum
- Aligns school improvement priorities with evidence-based practices
- Establishes a shared understanding of curriculum expectations across the school
2. Year-Level Planning
Led by Deputy Principal – Curriculum (Mrs Lana Schijvens): Each year level creates a Year Level Plan that:
- Maps Australian Curriculum content descriptions and achievement standards
- Identifies assessable elements to guide assessment design
- Sequences units for high-impact teaching and learning
3. Unit & Lesson Planning (Upfront Planning)
Led by Deputy Principal – Curriculum (Mrs Lana Schijvens): During upfront planning, teachers work collaboratively in their teaching teams to create curriculum clarity and develop a shared understanding of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy. This process ensures consistency, precision, and high expectations across classrooms and includes:
- Unpack units and assessments
- Establish Learning Intentions and Success Criteria (LISCs)
- Use Learning Ladders to clarify progression
- Set individual and cohort learning goals
- Plan targeted differentiation and instructional strategies
- Co-developing learning wall expectations, embedding A-level thinking from the outset
These practices directly reflect Sharratt's Parameters 1, 3, 6, and 14, focusing on common language, shared practice, data-informed decisions, and ongoing learning for all.
Case Management and Differentiation
Led by the Principal (Mr Peter Genrich), Cluster HOSES and Inclusion Teachers: We follow Queensland's expectations for inclusive education and the MTSS multi-tiered support model, aligned with Sharratt's emphasis on case management and collaborative inquiry.
Identifying and Supporting Students
During planning and teaching cycles, students are identified for:
- Differentiation opportunities for students (at level) within the Classroom (Tier 1 Universal Supports)
- Focused intervention for students requiring extension and enrichment or target and focused support and intervention (Tier 2 support in classroom with teacher and teacher aides (small groups)).
- Intensive intervention for students requiring Extension & enrichment or target and intensive support and intervention (Tier 3 support in classrooms with inclusion teachers coteaching with class teachers and teacher aides (Small group or individual supports)).
- Individual Curriculum Plans (ICPs) where required.
Our Case Management process ensures no student “falls through the cracks"—a core Sharratt principle. Every 2 weeks all staff are involved in Student Support Services Meetings to discuss new students identified by class teachers as well as discussing students supports (Tier 2 and 3) and the impact they are having for the students.
Case Management of Students Work Meetings
Led by Mrs Lana Schijvens, and held in Weeks 3, 5, and 7, teachers, inclusion teachers, administration and teacher aides meet to:
- Analyse student work samples
- Track progress against learning goals
- Identify next steps for teaching
- Review effective strategies and adjustments
- Build collective responsibility for student achievement
These meetings operationalise Sharratt's Case Management Approach (Parameter 13).
Our Inclusion Hub, led by Head of Special Education Services (HOSES) Mr Blake Freeman, supports staff, students, and families through ongoing collaboration. This includes coordinating inclusive practices, supporting the implementation of reasonable adjustments, guiding case management processes, and working alongside teachers to remove barriers to learning and participation for students with diverse needs.
Moderation and Collaborative Professional Practice
Moderation is central to ensuring a consistent, valid, and defensible assessment process across the school.
Week 8 Moderation – Calibrating Our Judgements
Led by Mrs Lana Schijvens, this process involves:
- Reviewing A, B, and C-level student work samples
- Calibrating teacher judgements against Achievement Standards
- Aligning marking guides and evidence
- Strengthening shared expectations for quality assessment
This process is guided by the Department of Education's four phases of moderation, ensuring that assessment practices are systematic and robust before, during, and after moderation. Following these phases supports consistency, transparency, and shared understanding across teaching teams.
In addition to school-based moderation, cluster moderation provides opportunities for our teachers to moderate student work alongside colleagues from other schools. This strengthens consistency of judgement beyond the school context, builds shared understandings of Achievement Standards, and supports consistent, system-aligned assessment practices.
Responsive Pedagogy in Every Classroom
Torbanlea teachers use high-quality, impactful pedagogies, grounded in research, departmental expectations, and Sharratt's high-impact strategies.
These include:
- Explicit teaching: Clear modelling of knowledge, skills, and processes
- Gradual Release of Responsibility (“I do, We do, You do"): Supporting students from guided practice to independent mastery
- Learning Intentions and Success Criteria: Making learning goals visible and measurable
- Formative assessment and feedback: Using ongoing assessment to inform instruction and next steps
- Collaborative inquiry and reflection: Teachers and students engage in reflective practice to improve learning
- Differentiated instruction for all learners (Tier 1 Universal Supports): Adapting teaching to meet the needs of every student
These pedagogies ensure precision, personalisation, and equity of access—core elements of high-quality teaching—so that every student benefits from research-informed learning experiences that strengthen engagement and achievement.
Learning Walls, Learning Walks and Talks
Led by the Principal (Mr Peter Genrich) and Deputy Principal – Curriculum (Mrs Lana Schijvens), Torbanlea State School believes learning is most effective when it is visible, measurable, and actively reflected upon. To support this, the school combines Learning Walls with Learning Walks and Talks, fostering a culture of high-impact teaching and personalised learning.
Learning Walls
- Are classroom-based displays showing evidence of curriculum, teaching and learning
- Display Learning Intentions, Success Criteria, and learning progressions.
- Promote student ownership and engagement, making expectations clear and learning goals transparent.
- Support formative assessment, enabling teachers to adjust instruction and challenge students appropriately.
- Embed A-level thinking, encouraging students to engage with higher-order skills.
Learning Walks and Talks- Are guided by Sharratt's 5 Questions, providing a structured process to observe learning and engage in reflective conversations.
- Allow teachers and students to discuss progress, articulate understanding, and set next steps.
- Provide leaders and teachers with immediate, actionable insights to inform precise teaching strategies.
- Ensure consistency of practice and shared clarity across classrooms, strengthening whole-school improvement.
- Reinforce the Learning Wall by connecting visible learning goals to everyday classroom practice.
Our Commitment
At Torbanlea State School, teaching and learning is a collaborative, data-informed, and student‑centred process. Through strong instructional leadership, shared clarity of purpose, and evidence-based practice, we ensure:
Delivering excellence for Every Student. Every classroom. Every day.
Learning and achieving through high-quality curriculum delivery.