Clifton Primary School. Teaching and Learning Policy.

1 Clifton Primary School Teaching and Learning Policy. 1. Vision, Aims and Ethos. Vision Our vision for Clifton Primary School is to enable all children to achieve their full potential in a safe, welcoming and happy learning environment. We will strive to create responsible citizens who are independent and confident lifelong learners equipped to meet the challenges of a changing future. This will be achieved within an inclusive school that values every individual and celebrates the diversity of our community. Aims At Clifton Primary School we aim to: have high expectations of children and to provide varied learning experiences within a broad and balanced curriculum; provide a stimulating, attractive and interactive environment that promotes learning; ensure that all children have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential - this will be achieved through positive action regarding culture, religion, gender, ability and aptitude; nurture a learning community of families, governors and other individuals to enrich educational opportunities; and to develop self esteem, respect and social skills enabling children to form positive relationships within school and in the context of a modern multi-cultural society. Ethos The ethos and atmosphere underpin the agreed aims of the school. Teachers provide a broad and balanced curriculum that develops the skills, concepts and knowledge necessary for future learning. The ethos of the school is achieved through: a polite and welcoming environment for children, staff, parents and members of the community,

2 a happy and supportive atmosphere in which we look after each other and learn together, a calm environment in which good behaviour is encouraged and rewarded, a stimulating working environment in which each child can achieve his or her potential, a full range of extra curricular activities within school to develop the whole child, valuing and celebrating pupils successes and achievements, providing positive role models, maintaining purposeful and informative planning, record keeping and assessment documents, reviewing personal and professional development by providing appropriate Inset, training and support to ensure a high level of professional expertise, welcoming, supporting and tutoring teaching and non-teaching students. 2. Equal Opportunities. In accordance with the school s Equal Opportunities Policy, all children at Clifton Primary are given full access to the National Curriculum. Staff endeavour to help all children reach their full potential through positive action regarding culture, religion, gender, ability and aptitude. 3. LEARNING Assessment for Learning At Clifton, we integrate the key principles of Assessment for Learning (AFL) into teaching and learning. AFL is the day to day assessment that measures the impact of teaching and informs subsequent planning. It is the engine that drives good progress. Practical and effective formative assessment strategies underpin all teaching and learning. Teachers ensure that children understand clearly and unambiguously exactly what they are meant to be learning in each lesson (clear learning objectives). Clear success criteria is provided so that both teachers and pupils can evaluate the extent to which the learning objective has been achieved (self and peer assessment).teachers plan effective questioning to encourage discussion amongst pupils, enabling them to evaluate and promote learning and critical thinking. Pupils are given feedback, both oral and written as appropriate in order that they understand clearly where they have succeeded, what they need to do to improve and what the next steps in their learning are. We have high expectations for all pupils. Curriculum In Nursery and Reception we follow the EYFS Curriculum. There are 7 areas of learning (3 prime areas and 4 specific areas). The prime areas are: Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development. The specific areas are Literacy, Numeracy, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. In Years 1-6 we follow

3 the National Curriculum, through the International Primary Curriculum (see attached curriculum overview); a topic based approach. Learning Environment At Clifton, we pride ourselves on a rich and stimulating learning environment, inside and outside the classroom. The learning environment is managed in such a way as to facilitate different styles of learning. These include: investigations, experimentation, talking and discussion, listening and observation, asking questions, practical exploration and role play, retrieving information, imagining, problem solving, making choices and decisions. Each learning space is organised to maximise the development of independence. This is achieved through: clear labelling of equipment and areas within the classroom; easily accessible resources that are tidied and looked after by the pupils; comfortable and attractive book corners and informative labels and questions on displays to reflect the language diversity within the school. Centrally stored resources are grouped according to curriculum subject and are clearly labelled. Enrichment At Clifton, we pride ourselves on our enriched curriculum. Most topics begin with an exciting entry point which engages and inspires the children. We also ensure that during their time at Clifton children experience a range of trips and visits that enhance the learning opportunities they may not otherwise have. We also have a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities through clubs and after school activities. Many of these are validated by Birmingham Children s University so that the children accrue points to attend a graduation ceremony at the end of the year. Homework We believe that carefully planned homework, matched to the needs of individuals, enhances learning and supports sustained progress. In the EYFS, reading books are sent home to be shared by families and simple mathematics activities are encouraged. In Key Stage 1 and 2, reading every night is an expected part of our homework strategy, as well as learning key number facts. In addition to this, appropriate literacy and numeracy activities are sent home weekly to support the learning undertaken in class. We have also invested in

4 Mathletics and Reading Eggs which are online programmes to support the Numeracy and Literacy at home. Children also have access to Moodle, our online learning platform. Celebrating Excellence At Clifton we celebrate excellence in a number of ways. Pupils work is displayed in classrooms and around the schools; displayed work has a high status. We also have weekly Stars of the Week for children who have excelled in a particular area; these children are awarded a certificate in assembly and their names are recorded on our school website. We also share achievements (such as sporting wins) during assemblies and in news letters. Assessment Procedures and Record Keeping In the Foundation Stage, Development Matters is used for our ongoing assessment record. These are completed individually for each child. We use this documentation to inform our planning, support intervention teaching and to work towards children achieving their Early Learning Goals which is our summative assessment tool at the end of Reception. We are moving towards using a secure online tracking system to support this. In KS 1 and 2, ongoing assessments are made of pupils work to establish their level of attainment and to identify the next steps needed in their learning. This is closely monitored through an online tracking process that enables staff to identify children not on track and to implement carefully planned programmes of support to ensure that progress is made. This data is also used to support the decisions made when grouping or setting children. Assessment procedures and record keeping systems are fully outlined in the Assessment Policy. Our Wider Community At Clifton we are passionate about our key role in our learning community. We work hard to establish and maintain positive relationships with governors, parents and other partners. We hold regular and frequent Inspire workshops, as well as other opportunities for family learning, such as mathematic workshops. We have recently developed online clips of key strategies in literacy and numeracy to support learning at home. We expect that parents and families ensure their child arrives at school punctually everyday with the equipment that they need for the day (for example, PE Kit). We also expect that parents ensure their children complete their homework and read every night and that parents attend parents meetings when requested to be aware of their child s learning and progress.

5 4.TEACHING Quality of Teaching At Clifton we are committed to providing outstanding teaching for our pupils. This is achieved through a thorough and comprehensive Continuing Professional Development programme, tailored to staff needs. Our development programme includes Inservice training delivered by both our own staff and outside providers and other courses, as well as team-teaching opportunities throughout the school and professional development cycles. We also run Improving Teaching Practice and Outstanding Teaching Practice courses for our own staff and others. Monitoring and Evaluation. To support the implementation of the School Improvement Plan, a programme of Whole School Monitoring and review has been developed. This ensures that there is a coherent and consistent approach to monitoring across the whole school. There will be no more than three classroom observations each year; one undertaken by the head teacher, a second by the Phase Leaders and a third by the curriculum leaders of a School Improvement priority area. Observations are completed using a standard proforma developed by the Leadership team, highlighting specific features of good practice to ensure consistency. Lessons are graded in accordance with OFSTED criteria and observations are moderated. Weekly planning is monitored on a rolling programme, no less that twice in every half term by the Phase Leaders. There are two whole school book trawls in the Autumn and Summer terms and curriculum leaders are encouraged to monitor pupils work at least once per year in every area. Performance Management At Clifton, we have robust Performance Management systems in place for all staff. There are clear targets set, linked to our School Improvement Plan and well defined systems for review (see our Performance Management Policy). Sarah Allen and Julia O Leary This policy will be reviewed annually.