Mooroopna Primary School wins Victorian Early Years Award
Mooroopna Primary School, along with site partners, has been awarded a Victorian Early Years Awards (VEYA), recognised for the Mooroopna Oral Literacy Initiative under the Continuity of Early Learning category.
This honour celebrates the collaborative work of Mooroopna Primary School, the Mooroopna Children and Families Centre, Greater Shepparton Foundation, Our Place Mooroopna and local allied health providers to improve language development for local children.
Supporting Strong Foundations for Learning
The Mooroopna Oral Literacy Initiative, which is supported by the evidence-based Oral Language Intervention (OLI) program through the Greater Shepparton Foundation, was created in response to local need. The Greater Shepparton region, and more specifically, Mooroopna, experiences high levels of disadvantage associated with delayed developmental outcomes and school readiness.
Research shows that early checks and support for language skills have long-term benefits, improving not only communication but also engagement, confidence and academic achievement.
The program gives children a 2-year window for extra targeted help before starting school. Language development is built into daily teaching, not treated as a separate support. Educators also receive regular ongoing help from the on-site speech pathologist, while families, teachers and health workers work together through activities like weekly story time sessions.
This integrated approach ensures children receive consistent, evidence-based support across home, school and community settings.
Recognising Continuity of Early Learning
The Department of Education’s Victorian Early Years Awards celebrates 20 years of the outstanding work of our early years professionals to improve the health, learning, development and wellbeing of Victorian children and their families.
The VEYA Continuity of Early Learning category celebrates partnerships between early childhood services, schools and other organisations that create smooth, successful transitions for children. The Mooroopna Oral Language Initiative exemplifies this approach, aligning early learning, health and family support to help children start school confident and ready to learn.
Our Place Mooroopna Partnership Manager, Sally Bate, has seen first-hand how powerful it is when services work together.
“By building strong partnerships between education, health and family support, we’re making sure no child falls through the cracks, and families feel supported at every stage of their child’s learning journey. This approach is at the heart of Our Place’s work across Victoria.”
Sally Bate, Our Place Mooroopna Partnership Manager
Why Early Oral Language Support Matters
Early oral language skills lay the groundwork for a child’s success at school and beyond.
Across Australia, one in four children start school with a speech or language delay, a challenge that programs like the Mooroopna Language Initiative are designed to address.
Research shows that children who receive targeted oral language support in their early years can experience up to twice the growth in vocabulary compared with their peers. Strong oral language skills at school entry also predict better reading and numeracy achievement in Years 3 and 5.
The benefits also extend well beyond the classroom, with every dollar invested in early intervention yielding long-term savings in remedial education and social services.
A similar oral language initiative is also underway at the Our Place Morwell site, reflecting the organisation’s commitment to supporting children’s language development and continuity of learning across Victoria.
Strong Results for Local Children
In 2024, the OLI program was embedded across all public primary schools in Mooroopna, supported hundreds of local children to build their speech and reading skills.
Over the year, the team carried out more than 1,200 assessments and 800 intervention sessions. In just 10 weeks, all participating students improved their reading and sound recognition skills, with some showing remarkable progress. A number of students progressed so well they no longer needed intensive support and were able to return to regular classroom learning.
The program also hosted 15 university speech pathology students on placement, who gained valuable experience, increased confidence and stronger connections with the local community through their work.
Our Place congratulates all the partners and community members involved in the Mooroopna Oral Language Initiative for their dedication to improving outcomes for children and families.
To find out more about the Oral Language Initiative, visit the Greater Shepparton Foundation website or read about other programs making a difference in Our Place communities via our latest news section.