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We believe this policy should be a working document that is fit for purpose, represents the school ethos, enables consistency and quality across the school and is related to the following legislation:
Education Act 1996
Education Act 1997
Standards and Framework Act 1998
Education Act 2002
We believe we provide all staff with a framework for the highest quality teaching and learning in order to inspire all children to learn and achieve to the best of their ability. Through high quality teaching and learning, we will support pupils in developing the knowledge, understanding and skills that will enable them to fulfil their intellectual and personal potential and thereby help to prepare them to make a mature and critical contribution to society as an adult.
To provide a caring, secure and stimulating environment where all pupils are inspired to become lifelong learners within the 21st Century.
In order to realise our vision and mission, at LPS we aim to develop and encourage self-motivation, independence and reflective thinking, in order to make positive contributions within the communities in which we live. We provide an environment where partnership and teamwork lead to high quality achievement for all which is celebrated by children, parents, staff, governors and the community.
Rationale:
LPS is a learning community and we believe that any attempt to raise standards must be focused on the classroom. Continued and sustained improvement is dependent upon improving the quality of teaching and learning that is taking place on a daily basis. 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.
Leading Towards Excellent Teaching and Learning:
Class teachers and learning support staff need inspiration, direction, guidance and support in order to deliver the highest possible standard of teaching and learning. This policy provides a framework of expectations and strategies within which leaders at LPS work to promote and enable excellent teaching and learning.
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.
In order 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.
In order 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.
In order 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.
In order 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.
In order 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.
In order 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.
In order 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:
Most lessons are identified as excellent;
Excellent pupil progress seen in lessons and over time, in their responses, in work and in assessment data;
Confident staff, who enjoy their work and who feel supported by the school’s leadership;
Pupils and parents reporting positively about teaching and learning at the school.
LPS at the centre of a rich and cohesive learning community.
The Foundation Phase Provision:
This stage provides for the magic of early childhood and the curriculum is about the child. The world is around us to be explored and discovery is a real adventure. Well-structured and purposeful play activities enhance and extend the children's learning, to guide their play, to offer choices, to challenge them with care and sensitivity, to encourage them to move their learning along.
The Areas of learning in the Foundation Phase are:
Personal and Social Development, Well-Being and Cultural Diversity
Language, Literacy and Communication Skills
Mathematical Development
Welsh Language Development
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Physical Development
Creative Development
The skills based curriculum within the early years uses ‘The Framework for
Children’s Learning 3-7 Year Olds in Wales’. The content is adapted to suit the children’s interests and needs. Topics are flexible and all children will progress through the skills at their individual pace.
At this stage the main building blocks for successful learning are put in place. The emphasis is on developing essential skills of communication, literacy and numeracy. We seek to provide a broad, rich curriculum, which develops the children's interests and skills. This is an important time when children learn how to observe, listen, respond and develop both as independent individuals and as caring, valued members of our school community. On entering full-time education
children follow the Foundation Phase Curriculum for Wales until the end of Year 2.
Key Stage 2 Provision:
A focus on literacy and numeracy skills development underpins the whole curriculum. The children are following the National Curriculum which places increased emphasis on the development of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum in all subject areas. This is closely aligned to the new Programmes of Study (PoS) which teachers use to plan and assess pupil learning and progress.
The new curriculum aims to provide a single coherent framework for teaching, assessment and qualifications, helping schools to raise standards of achievement and widen educational opportunity.
At Key Stage 2, the children follow subject orders from the National
Curriculum for Wales, which covers the subjects of English, Welsh, Mathematics,
Science, ICT, Design & Technology, History, Geography, Art & Design, Music, PE,
Personal and Social Education and RE.
The PoS incorporates the key skills of communication and number.
Communication leads on from much of the work done over the past years developing literacy across the curriculum. These skills apply to all areas of the curriculum and have been organised into four elements: oracy, reading, writing and wider communication skills. Numeracy skills can be applied at all ages in different situations across the curriculum, as appropriate to learners’ abilities, achievements and stages of development; contributing to understanding of subject contexts.
The two other key skills as outlined in Skills Framework for 3 to 19 year-olds in
Wales are:
Thinking Skills – this area includes planning, developing and reflection. These processes enablelearners to plan their work, to develop and apply their ideas creatively and critically, to reflect on their learning, making links within and outside school.
Information Communication Technology (ICT) - as a key skill this is used to create and present information and ideas and to find and develop information ideas across the curriculum. In providing a range of opportunities to use ICT across the curriculum, pupils should develop a sense of audience for their work. They should increase competence and sophistication in their selection and application of IT resources to suit the task, audience and purpose.
It is intended that all skills are taught, developed and practised through all curriculum subjects and the pastoral curriculum. Progression in skills is at the heart of our curriculum planning. Children are given many opportunities to develop the application of these skills in as many different activities as possible.
Excellent Teaching & Learning at LPS:
All lessons at LPS include the following key elements to ensure high quality teaching and learning. New teachers to our school will receive training to ensure they fully understand these elements and to enable them to embed these strategies in their everyday practice. The key elements and principles are all underpinned by excellent systems of Assessment for Learning (AfL). This is the process of identifying what the learner has or has not achieved in order to plan the next steps in the teaching or learning process.
Teacher Expectations:
Teaching staff at LPS ensure that they set high expectations of themselves, the staff they work with and all pupils by:
Passionately demonstrating a belief to all pupils and staff that everyone can achieve well.
Reinforcing consistently through a very well-structured progression of learning.
Providing precise and timely intervention that supports all learners, working exceptionally hard to engage with vulnerable learners.
Removing barriers to learning through innovative practices.
Pupils receiving the correct balance of praise and positive feedback.
Teacher Knowledge:
We expect all Teaching staff either have or are able to obtain:
An excellent range and understanding of teaching strategies to develop learners.
Excellent in-depth knowledge of the subjects and themes taught.
Expertise in the use of innovative resources to enhance pupil-led enquiry.
Strategies that anticipates potential gaps or difficulties for groups of learners and apply approaches to close this.
Knowledge that enables pupils to make connections between different concepts in order to deepen learners’ understanding.
Lesson Objectives and Criteria:
Learning objectives are skills based and not connected to the context of the lesson. All pupils understand how they will achieve the learning objectives through clear and co-constructed success criteria. Learning objectives are the same for all children. We want all our children to access the same learning and it is through the use of resources or differentiated success criteria. Teachers involve pupils fully in understanding learning outcomes by ensuring:
Precise objectives which are set and link clearly to the expected success criteria.
Success criteria which are differentiated, derived appropriately by the learners.
Skills are consistently referenced in planning, marking, feedback and dialogue.
Pupils are motivated to select relevant skills to apply across the curriculum that enhance enquiry based learning.
Skills are linked to application through consistent use of innovative and engaging approaches across the curriculum.
Teaching Approaches:
Teaching staff provide effective learning contexts by deploying a variety of teaching approaches. These are selected through careful planning of learning experiences, derived from robust assessments of previous learning. In order to provide excellent learning experiences, teachers will:
Motivate learners to self-direct their enquiry driven learning.
Enable pupils to understand and become confident in selecting effective strategies suited to task.
Adopt a ‘coaching role’ as pupils increasingly lead their own learning.
Provide precision coaching is always accurate and undertaken at key times for all ability levels.
Enable pupils to make connections with previous learning independently.
Enable pupils to identify skills in a wide range of contexts independently.
Learning Approaches:
In order to provide excellent learning experiences, teachers will ensure that:
Pupils are at the centre of learning.
Collaborative activities are purposeful and effective across the curriculum.
Pupils make choices as to how they will work using efficient methods.
Pupils are motivated to learn independently.
Pupils take control of their own learning and are engaged in challenging activities which are increasingly self-directed.
Pupils demonstrate strong self-evaluative and reflection skills.
Leading Learning:
Leaders and teachers inspire pupils to be leaders of their own learning, adopting a Heutogogical approach to curriculum design, rather than a Pedagogical approach. This is achieved by ensuring that:
Emotional stimuli are used to capture pupils’ interests are used to review prior learning or to set the scene.
Learners are intrigued, excited and engaged.
Reviews throughout the lesson engage all pupils in evaluating the impact of their learning.
Information gleaned from this is used to inform next learning steps.
Plenary sessions bring the whole session together in an innovative or exciting way and is partly or fully led by pupils.
Learner Progress:
Learner attainment and achievement is challenged and celebrated to demonstrate true learner progress. Teachers ensure that:
Achievement of pupils is consistently high in relation to ability.
Within all learning experiences, suitable support and challenge meet the needs of all pupils.
Pupils are encouraged to select their own methods to influence their progress and learning.
Differentiation:
Teachers plan all learning experiences carefully which matches the different learning needs of all children. Teachers may differentiate the curriculum by: task, pace, outcome, time, teacher/adult support and will make it clear in the planning. Teachers ensure that:
All learners are challenged and supported with differentiated approaches.
Pupils make good, and in many cases, excellent progress, including learners who have difficulties.
Insightful teacher awareness at both a planning and responsive stage enables pupils to experience high challenge and to which they respond with enthusiasm.
Precision coaching is always accurate and undertaken at key times for all ability levels.
Bilingualism:
Leaders and teachers ensure that the Welsh language and dimension permeates all school life through promoting Welsh incidentally and directly through focused lessons. Teachers ensure that:
Pupils converse in welsh within a variety of situations.
Teachers use Welsh with great frequency in a wide range of contexts.
Pupils’ responses are very accurate.
Pupils initiate accurate conversations with adults and peers.
Bilingualism within the learning environment is rich and embedded.
Learner Confidence & Positive Behaviour Management:
Leaders and teachers ensure that every child is provided with equal opportunities to access all aspects of school life within a safe, secure and enjoyable environment. This is achieved by ensuring that:
Teachers are well informed about all pupils’ context and uses specific information to understand their barriers to learning.
Creative solutions are used to challenge issues and inspire pupils’ learning.
Teachers act in a proactive way to ensure the pupils’ wellbeing is secure.
Pupils thrive on a challenge and are confident in their teacher’s responses.
Positive behaviour management policy is adhered to, ensuring consistency and approach across the whole school.
Highly engaging inter-personal skills and strategies are employed to de-escalate potential issues.
Learning Environment:
Leaders and teachers ensure that the learning environment encourages learner independence:
Classrooms and learning areas are highly stimulating and utilises all aspects to their potential.
Resource and display content inspire and encourage learners to incorporate them into their learning purposefully.
TA’s and teachers work collaboratively to coach learners in order to enhance independent learning.
TA’s input through specific verbal and written feedback that detail successes and difficulties.
Questioning:
Effective questioning is at the centre of enabling true independent thinking and learning. Leaders and teachers ensure that:
Questioning techniques engage all pupils, and the teacher probes for fuller understanding.
Teachers act on whole class and individual responses.
Process time is used to ensure all leaners have equal opportunities to contribute.
Pupils are encouraged to ask higher order questions of each other.
Effective questioning underpins high levels of achievement for all.
Pupils and teacher use higher order questioning to widen and deepen learning.
Pupil Reflection & Assessment for Learning (AfL):
Once children understand how to assess their current knowledge and the gaps in it, they will have a clearer idea of how they can help themselves (and their peers) to progress.
Teachers & pupils select AfL systems that are innovative, insightful and engage all learners. ICT may be used creatively to enhance this.
Teacher uses this information to lead to very effective learning outcomes.
Teacher modelling and coaching underpins highly skilled self and peer assessment.
Success and accuracy of self and peer assessment enables nearly all learners to be confident and independent within all contexts of learning.
Teachers train pupils to independently select strategies for peer and self-assessment.
Feedback, Marking and Learner Responses:
Feedback and effective marking is embedded in everyday practice and is used to inform teaching and learning:
Verbal feedback is timely and personalised, suggesting clear ways to improve.
The teacher is careful in the ‘feed-forward’ provided and personalises it according to each child’s needs.
Praise is deliberately separated from feedback.
Personalised targets are skill specific and regularly refer to success criteria.
Pupils have ownership of their own targets and improvements.
Drafting is co-constructed by pupils and peers to make improvements to their writing through drafting process.
Teachers and pupils use marking codes effectively to identify and improve through self and peer-assessment.
Editing is co-constructed by the teacher to make improvements in their writing through editing process.
Pupils are given quality time to reflect on feedback.
Through peer discussion, pupils independently act on feedback given.
Learners are encouraged to identify improvements required and act on them independently.
Monitoring the Curriculum
Teachers’ planning files are always available to the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and curriculum leaders so that the process of planning can be monitored. Governors also have access to planning at all levels in their role as curriculum partners. Curriculum monitoring focuses on standards being achieved in curriculum areas and subjects. During monitoring exercises, the SLT or subject leaders evaluates standards through observing lessons, scrutiny of children’s work and displays, discussions with teachers, teaching assistants and children.
Findings are presented to the teaching staff highlighting strengths and areas for improvement, with an action plan formulated. Monitoring reports are made to the Governing Body, with the process informing the school Self-Evaluation Report and School Improvement Plan.
Without Exception:
We have a duty to reduce unproductive or unnecessary teacher workload associated with marking, planning or tracking pupil progress that does not contribute to the raising of pupil standards. But we must ensure that we do not cut or reduce some tasks associated with marking, planning or tracking pupil progress that by so doing it has a negative impact on the quality of teaching and learning and pupil outcomes.
We have a duty to safeguard children, young people and families from violent extremism. We are aware that there are extremist groups within our country who wish to radicalise vulnerable children and to involve them in terrorism or in activity in support of terrorism. Periodic risk assessments are undertaken to assess the risk of pupils being drawn into terrorism. School personnel must be aware of the increased risk of online radicalisation, and alert to changes in pupil's behaviour. Any concerns will be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
We are aware that under the 'Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015' we have the duty to have 'due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism'. This duty is known as the Prevent duty and we believe it is essential that school personnel are able to identify those who may be vulnerable to radicalisation or being influenced by extremist views, and then to know what to do when they are identified.
We provide a safe environment where we promote pupils' welfare. Within this environment we work hard to build pupils' resilience to radicalisation and extremism by promoting fundamental British values and for everyone to understand the risks associated with terrorism. We want pupils to develop their knowledge and skills in order to challenge extremist views.
We wish to work closely with the School Council and to hear their views and opinions as we acknowledge and support Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child that children should be encouraged to form and to express their views.
We as a school community have a commitment to promote equality. Therefore, an equality impact assessment has been undertaken and we believe this policy is in line with the Equality Act 2010.
The Role of the Governing Body:
delegated powers and responsibilities to the Headteacher to ensure all school personnel and stakeholders are aware of and comply with this policy;
responsibility for ensuring that the school complies with all equalities legislation;
responsibility for ensuring funding is in place to support this policy;
responsibility for ensuring this policy and all policies are maintained and updated regularly;
responsibility for ensuring all policies are made available to parents;
responsibility for the effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation of this policy
The Role of the Headteacher:
ensure all school personnel, pupils and parents are aware of and comply with this policy;
provide leadership and vision in respect of equality;
provide guidance, support and training to all staff;
ensure a continuous professional development programme is in place for all teaching and support staff in order to develop teaching and learning throughout the school;
ensure teaching staff have their statutory planning, preparation and assessment time;
monitor teaching and learning across the school,
annually report to the Governing Body on the success and development of this policy
The Role of the Senior Leadership Team:
lead the development of key skills throughout the school;
provide guidance and support to all staff;
provide training for all staff on induction and when the need arises;
keep up to date with new developments and resources;
monitor planning and to observe lessons;
monitor the quality of teaching and learning across the school;
monitor and review both skill delivery and development through the curriculum to ensure that consistency, continuity and progression are evident for all learners in all skills areas;
provide resources to support this policy;
monitor the performance of pupils by analysing data and by discussion with class teachers;
annually report to the Governing Body on the success and development of this policy and associated procedures.
The Role of the Subject Leaders:
comply with all aspects of this policy
undertake appropriate training;
monitor and evaluate the quality of learning for their subject area;
report the main findings of monitoring to teaching staff and the head teacher;
report any concerns they have on any aspect of the school community
The Role of Class Teachers and Teaching Assistants:
adhere to the teaching and learning policy;
will plan lessons which are interactive, engaging, of a good pace and display distinct structure:
introductory whole class session
guided / independent session
mini review sessions to reinforce or extend
plenary sessions
will plan lessons that have clear learning objectives, have activities that appeal to a range of learning styles and will provide challenge;
inform parents each term on how they can support their child;
inform parents during termly parent-teacher consultations of their child’s targets;
provide detailed annual pupil reports;
set differentiated homework for all pupils using our homework policy.
Parents/Carers will:
be aware of and comply with this policy;
be encouraged to support their children;
be aware of their child’s targets;
be encouraged to take an active role in the life of the school by attending:
parents and open evenings
parent-teacher consultations
class assemblies
school concerts
fundraising and social events
be asked to take part in periodic surveys conducted by the school;
ensure regular and punctual attendance;
notify school on the first day of pupil absence;
encourage effort and achievement;
encourage completion of homework and return it to school;
provide the right conditions for homework to take place;
hand in homework on time;
support the school’s Positive Behaviour Policy to ensure smooth running of the school;
ensure correct school uniform is worn
ensure that PE kit is provided
Next Review Date:
July 2022