Teaching and learning policy 2014

Stoke Park School is dedicated to developing students so that they may grow into confident and positive individuals who reach their full potential in whatever field that may be. Stoke Park makes a commitment to provide a quality learning experience for its students.

The Teaching and Learning Policy is defined through the following areas:

Climate for Learning & Professional Values

Assessing Impact and Progress

Lesson Design

Supporting the Learning

We believe that learning can best be described by the following principles:

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Learning involves, making sense of information and experiences Learning is making connections between prior knowledge and new information Learning should be an active process where there is opportunity for collaboration Learning is about being resourceful, and applying knowledge in different ways Learning is about being reflective and having the confidence to change the way you see things

Climate for Learning & Professional Values At Stoke Park School, we believe the Climate for Learning is as important as the learning experience itself. We believe that being inclusive and developing good, positive relationships between adults and students develops our students’ enjoyment of learning and fosters a learning culture. We believe that a successful learning culture is depicted by the following expectations:

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Clear classroom routines & behaviour for learning strategies Engagement and enjoyment Safe and calm atmosphere Challenging & interesting material Good relationships between adults and students Informative, effective display stimulus including sharing students’ work Opportunities to develop and become open to new skills, methods and forms of learning Opportunities for out of classroom learning, including visits to offsite activities

We have a strong commitment to promoting and sharing our Professional Values and see this going hand in hand with the learning culture we create.

Our teaching and support staff are encouraged to work in an open and collaborative manner in order to enable students to reach their full potential.

We achieve this by supporting students, leading student learning and building professional relationships in order to equip students with the skills that will prepare them for the future.

•Set aspirational targets that are both realistic and attainable •Frequently monitor student progress identifying key areas for support and development •Ensure that all student data is reliable and accurate and is assessed in line with government and/or examination board guidelines •Promote a range of enrichment activities •Prepare students for life beyond Stoke Park School, teaching them a range of skills that will leave them better equipped to deal with many of the challenges they may face

•All staff are expected to use positive language to encourage and motivate students to learn •A common language, where appropriate, will be used by staff to help learners make connections between different areas of the curriculum •Students will be given praise through positive comments and rewards

•Well qualified, highly motivated staff deliver both an exciting and challenging curriculum that equips students with the skills and knowledge they will need for a career in the 21st century •Students are taught a curriculum that is relevant and meets the needs of the individual •Enable students to feel comfortable taking responsibility for their learning, encouraging them to make informed decisions and to exercise their rights and responsibilities Support students throughout their education enabling them to reach their full potential

Leading Learning

Promoting Language of Learning

Building Professional Relationships

•Know students as individuals •Listen to students and find out how they learn best •Deliver lessons that are industrious, enjoyable and involve all •To develop mutual respect •Frequent communication with parents/guardians •To encourage students to develop a positive self-image and sense of worth

Lesson Design Every lesson at Stoke Park School will develop and enhance student knowledge, understanding and a set of skills. Students are expected to make progress every lesson to maximise personal achievement. This will be achieved through a variety of methods of delivery, dependent on subject area. The learning cycle will underpin all lessons, and regular opportunities for training and sharing of good practice is evident through weekly Teaching & Learning sessions and a thorough CPD programme.

•Common lesson planning structure for consistency of approach to learning •Students are greeted at the door and welcomed into an appropriate learning environment

•Learning outcomes are concise and progressive using Must, Should, Could or levels to show progression and challenge •Learning outcomes take into account individual need and will appeal to all learners

•Differentiation of resources •An opportunity to learn in different ways – V.A.K

Construct

•Variety of technologies/ strategies to be employed

•Level of challenge to be age/stage appropriate •Variety of groupingspair/small/whole class •Leading questions to promote independent enquirers

•Learners will be able to show what they have learnt by applying it to a different situation or context • •The learning experience will be shared and discussed •Progress will be evident through review and reflection

•Use of ICT to enhance learning

•A variety of tasks to search for meaning and make sense of it

•Open ended questions to promote higher order thinking skills (HOTS)

•Information will be shared in an interesting and informative way

•An opportunity for active learning

•AfL evident throughout lesson as well as in a plenary/review •Homework will be meaningful and enhance the learning

Underpinning elements

•Students take a lead in their own learning as the learning journey is clear and purposeful

•The ‘hook’ to evoke interest (punchy starter)

Apply to Demonstrate/Review

•Planning and delivery will be sequential

•Split screen objectives are evident with content running alongside skill

Present new information

•Lesson planning takes into account prior learning and is differentiated according to ability

Share the learning outcomes

Prepare the learning

The Learning Cycle

•Stoke Park Learning Power (SPLP) embedded across the curriculum •Topics will be relevant to the 21st century learner •Tasks will be short and manageable- pace and timing to be appropriate to the group •Behaviour for learning will be promoted in a positive and clear manner •Be dynamic, take risks and promote a sense of fun •All students will have the opportunity to succeed in every lesson •Enrichment programme will have a range for all interests and talents

Assessing Impact & Progress At Stoke Park we use a wide variety of strategies and techniques to monitor student progress and assess impact. Both summative (Assessment of Learning) and formative assessments (Assessment for Learning) are used to inform learning and teaching both in and outside the classroom.

Assessment at Stoke Park involves:  Regular and accurate marking & feedback  An holistic approach to Assessment for Learning (AfL) using subject knowledge and Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS/SPLP)  Whole School and Departmental target setting  Data analysis and accurate predictions

Assessment techniques are student centred. There is a culture of high expectations for all students based on individual progress. Assessment criteria is shared and in student friendly language. Peer and self-assessment are used to improve student involvement. Students are involved in setting curricular targets which are reviewed on a regular basis and integral to teaching and learning. AfL is part of every lesson for every student. All students’ achievements are recognised. Learning outcomes are visible throughout the lesson. Lessons are planned according to assessment information and prior knowledge of individuals’ ability.

Target Setting Targets are used to maximise progress by setting high yet realistic expectations for individual students. We use end of key stage data to set challenging individual targets based on levels of progress. Students are involved as much as possible in the target setting process and are aware of how to reach them. Targets are set using the SMART approach (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reachable, and Time), which helps us have an holistic approach to assessment. Parents/guardians are informed of targets through our reporting system.

Data Analysis and Predictions All staff aim to use data to ensure students make progress and achieve their full potential. Intervention is tailored to fulfil individual learning needs. Data for all years are available to all staff and updated at least three times a year. All staff are expected to analyse data to identify groups of students or individuals to work with. Key stage coordinators assist teaching staff and form tutors in analysing the data for different groups of students.

Supporting the Learning We ensure that all students are supported throughout their learning at Stoke Park School. We support learning in a number of different ways, ensuring that the support we offer is available to every student and is tailored to suit the individual needs of our students. To support learning effectively we take pride in our high level of knowledge of our students and use this to ensure a personalised learning journey takes place. Our student support team are on hand at all times with information, support strategies and guidance to assist in supporting the learning experience for all. We ensure that relevant support is available both in and out of the classroom for individuals, to enable our school to be all inclusive.

We understand that effective learning takes place when:          

All staff use a student-centred approach to teaching & learning when planning and delivering lessons Targeted and specific use of adults other than teachers in the classroom to support the learning process is well managed IEPs for targeted students are followed and reviewed effectively All staff are aware of students’ individual learning needs and involve support staff effectively Pastoral support is used to correct and model the effective behaviours for learning Mentoring is used to challenge and support individuals to aim higher Additional learning opportunities are offered to targeted students as well as open to all A range of learning styles is used in teaching, in order for all students to access the curriculum A differentiated approach to learning is put in place through the learning cycle in classrooms The achievement and enjoyment of every student is at the core of our priorities

Glossary of Terms Here at Stoke Park we realise that there a lot of acronyms that are used in education that you may not fully know or understand. Below we have created a list to help you make the most of this document.

Term

What this means

Definition

Stoke Park Learning Power

At KeyStage3 all teachers implement skills based around Guy Claxton’s ‘Building Learning Power’. This focuses on the following learning dispositions: Resilience, Resourceful, Reflective and Reciprocal.

AfL

Assessment for Learning

Assessment for Learning is the process of using classroom assessment to improve learning and Assessment of Learning is the measurement of what pupils can do.

PLTS

Personal Learning and Thinking Skills

At KS3 all teachers use Learning Power dispositions within their lesson planning and delivery. All lesson objectives have at least one that links to SPLP which is Stoke Park’s version of PLTS.

CPD

Continued Professional Development

CPD is a programme of opportunities and entitlements that are available for staff to progress and develop further as professionals. At Stoke Park we have a regular Thursday am teaching and Learning session and a broad programme of CPD after school for all staff to opt into.

V.A.K

Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic

Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic are different learning styles that some students may have. All teachers prepare resources that appeal to all of the different learning styles when planning lessons.

ICT

Information Communication Technology

This is the use of Computers and Communication equipment to provide the best possible resources for a learner to develop.

IEPs

Individual Education Plan

All learners that are registered on the Special Educational Needs register have an IEP, which supports their individual learning needs. All staff are aware of the particular needs of the learners and plan their lessons to support individuals to meet their targets.

HOTS

Higher Order Thinking Skills

Teachers use a different range of questions to stretch the more able and appeal to their higher order thinking skills. This is based on the theory of Bloom’s Taxonomy where teachers move from recall/knowledge based questions to analysis / application questions

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reachable, and Time Related

During target setting, we use the SMART approach to break down the targets into achievable goals. This is particularly used during structured conversations and mentoring sessions.

SPLP

SMART