Teaching and Learning Policy

I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness (John 10:10)

Always the best because everyone matters

At Bishop Luffa School we believe that everyone matters: we want all of our students to achieve as well as they possibly can. As teachers we aim to teach as well as we possibly can. We closely monitor and evaluate each student's progress, and modify lessons in response to their performance. This leads to a striking impact on all students’ learning and progress. We take an active interest in our own professional development and how it impacts in the classroom. We constantly seek feedback from students and colleagues about the effectiveness of our practice. We use this feedback to adapt and improve the learning process.

Purpose of the policy is to:

• ensure that our students are offered high quality learning experiences that lead to consistently high levels of achievement.
• guide what children do, what teachers do, how time is managed, how the classroom is organised and what the school does to create an effective and well-managed learning environment in which the individual needs of each child can be met.
• provide a common language and understanding of what makes outstanding teaching and learning.
• help students to become life-long, independent learners who are resourceful, reflective and resilient.

Principles

Students’ Learning

Students learn best when they:

1. feel safe and happy in their learning environment
2. have a sense of the big picture and why they are doing a task
3. are engaged, challenged, stimulated to think and motivated to learn
4. have tasks that match and extend their ability
5. know how well they’re doing and what they need to do to progress
6. develop their personal learning and thinking skills
7. experience success

Teachers’ Learning

All teachers are leaders of learning and demonstrate through their own example that they are life-long learners:

• Professional development for all staff at Bishop Luffa is central to improving the quality of students’ learning and achievement.
• All staff are entitled to access CPD and are expected to take personal responsibility for their own professional development with the support of their Faculty Coach.
• We believe that effective CPD enables staff to maintain their skills and knowledge at the cutting edge of practice in curriculum and pedagogy.
• We encourage innovative and reflective practice based on knowledge and research.
• Some of the key CPD strategies include coaching, videoing with IRIS, peer support, observing others, action research, joint planning, sharing practice and e-learning, professional publications and evaluation of Pupil Voice.

Practice

Teaching

Planning and delivery

We aim to give students an outstanding learning experience in every lesson. In an outstanding lesson teachers should follow the Discipline for Learning policy and plan lessons which:

• have high expectations
• provide pace and challenge for all students 
• are informed by prior learning
• use a clear structure
• introduce ”big picture”/links to prior learning
• set learning activities/challenge
• do activities, with interim plenaries and opportunities for reflecting on progress
• make learning enjoyable and engaging
• reward students appropriately and use the sanctions policy where necessary

During lessons:

• allow students to make real progress in their learning
• use plenaries (both interim and at the end of the lesson) to check progress and help pupils to understand how well they have done and how to improve
• allow students to develop and practise higher order thinking skills such as creativity, analysis, problem solving, decision making and application
• use a variety of learning styles and strategies that are differentiated for varying needs by task, resources, outcomes and/or method.
• help close the gap between different abilities
• use stimulating resources, including ICT and e-learning, which are differentiated as appropriate to the students
• use effective questioning
• use a variety of AfL techniques, including times for reflection and green penning, to direct and challenge students, and assess progress
• teach literacy and numeracy skills within the subject context
• set appropriate homework

Assessment, Recording and Reporting

Teachers should:

• assess students’ work regularly following the school marking and assessment policy
• use assessments to inform their teaching and support students’ progress
• use data to ensure students are working at their full potential and set targets to achieve this and
• inform parents and carers, and appropriate staff within school, of students’ progress or underachievement

Support

Teachers should:

• be aware of the specific learning needs of their students e.g. literacy, Aspergers spectrum, dyslexia, G&T
• consult with Support Faculty Coach about how to meet the needs of individual students
• work with TAs, and other adults, to ensure students are best supported in their learning
• use Student Passports/ student profile information as working documents in their planning to differentiate work for individual students

Continuous Professional Development

Teachers should:

• continuously update their subject knowledge and teaching practice in line with current developments and initiatives
• discuss teaching and learning at subject meetings in order to share good practice
• plan their own CPD programme, in conjunction with their Faculty Coach/Team Leader/Faculty Head, as a result of the Appraisal process, and keep a record of its impact
• keep their Personal Development Planning folder up-to-date