Rationale:

Our expectation is that all pupils are provided with high quality learning experiences that lead to consistently high levels of pupil achievement and skills for life.

This policy provides a framework of expectations and strategies within which leaders at LPS work to promote and enable excellent teaching and learning. This policy is designed to provide teachers and support staff the required inspiration, direction, guidance and support in order to deliver the highest possible standard of teaching and learning across the whole school.

Principles of Excellence:

Senior and Middle Leaders set high exceptions of themselves and others.  They lead by example through:

• applying the school’s teaching for learning policy and framework for effective teaching and learning in their own teaching and any other interaction with pupils; e.g. when taking assembly or engaging with pupils around the school;

• where applicable, apply the positive and constructive approaches central to the school’s teaching for learning policy in their dealings with adults in school.

To provide a pleasant, supportive and inspiring working environment for pupils and members of staff, leaders in school will:

• ensure the physical environment is safe, comfortable, well-presented and fit for purpose;

• actively seek and respond to the thoughts and opinions of pupils and members of staff;

• take steps to monitor and support the mental and physical well-being of pupils and members of staff;

• make themselves available for both formal and informal interactions with pupils and members of staff.

To provide, promote and support an effective, school-wide system of positive behaviour management, leaders in school will:

• ensure a positive behaviour management policy is agreed, implemented, monitored and reviewed;

• take steps to ensure pupils, staff and other school stake-holders are familiar with the behaviour policy;

• “role model” effective implementation of the behaviour policy;

• actively support other members of staff in the implementation of the behaviour policy.

To promote, support and monitor a school-wide policy for teaching and learning, including associated policies for assessment, planning and responding to pupils’ work, leaders in school will:

• ensure all stake-holders, where possible, are involved in the construction and review of the policy for teaching and learning and other associated policies;

• ensure the policy for teaching and learning forms the starting point of all relevant monitoring and observation.

To provide structures and resources for assessment, planning and delivery that enable and encourage outstanding teaching, leaders in school will:

• ensure that budgets are set that take into account the full cost of resourcing the implementation of the school’s policies;

• ensure the physical and digital resources necessary to implement agreed policies are in place and that members of staff are appropriately trained and/or informed to use them.

To encourage creativity and give teachers “permission” to experiment in their teaching, leaders in school will:

• place value on creativity in the course of monitoring and observation;

• enable members of staff to “see and share” related good practice;

• ensure that schemes of work enable flexibility within which teachers can be creative in their planning and respond to opportunities as they arise.

To provide teachers with focused professional development opportunities and support, leaders in school will:

• budget for the professional development necessary for members of staff to be able to implement the school’s policies;

• encourage the sharing of knowledge, understanding and skills within the school’s staffing establishment;

• help members of staff to identify and use a range of strategies and sources for their personal professional development;

• particularly encourage members of staff to access “on-line” opportunities for professional development.

To hold themselves and individual teachers to account for children’s progress, leaders in school will:

• Fully implement the school’s arrangements for performance management that are linked to school priorities.

• Undertake termly lesson observations with structured feedback.

• Organise half termly standardisation sessions for all core subjects, with a focus on application of skills and the Digital Competency Framework (DCF).

• Undertake half termly workbook scrutiny activities with detailed feedback on strengths and next steps.

• Organise Teacher Self & Peer Workbook Scrutiny in order to share good practice.

• Arrange termly Pupil Progress Meetings at teacher, team/department and whole-school level;

• Ensure that the outcomes of monitoring, including work scrutiny, assessment data collection and pupil self-assessment are collated and analysed appropriately;

• Report appropriately to the staff, governing body and parents.

In order to build partnerships with parents, the community, other schools and the wider teaching profession that support the provision of high-quality teaching and learning, leaders in school will:

• be active in developing age-appropriate opportunities for parents to be involved in and to support children’s personal development and learning;

• ensure the school has active links with public and commercial organisations both local and distant.

When the requirements of this policy are met, we will see:

• Nearly all lessons are identified as excellent;

• Excellent pupil progress seen in lessons and over time, in their responses, in work and in assessment information;

• Confident staff, who enjoy their work and who feel supported by the school’s leadership team;

• Pupils and parents reporting positively about teaching and learning at the school.

• LPS at the centre of a rich and cohesive learning community.