Teaching & Learning

Policy

November 2016

DRAFT

Rationale

This policy has been produced after consultation with the key staff and management committee members of The Bridge School; it endeavours to identify the processes which by which a pupil receives his/her statutory entitlement to the national curriculum. It takes into account the special educational needs of the pupils, statutory obligations which are placed on the school and the principles of Every Child Matters. Consideration is also given to the bench marks set down by Ofsted and HMI. This policy needs to be read in conjunction with: -

  • the schools ‘Ideology’, which defines our core purpose, mission statement, vision, core values, statement of purpose
  • the school’s ‘Behaviour Policy’
  • the schools ‘Equal Opportunities Policy’
  • the school’s ‘Curriculum Policy’
  • the school’s ’Marking Policy’
  • the school’s ‘Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy’

Aim

This policy aims to support the school in meeting its core purpose of providing personalised, high quality, teaching/learning, in a safe and secure environment for vulnerable learners with SEMH difficulties. It does this by ensuring that the pupils at The Bridge School are provided with high quality learning experiences that lead to a consistently high level of learner achievement. The Bridge School aims to provide a welcoming environment where pupils’ feel valued as individuals; where courtesy, kindness and mutual respect are fostered. We aim to:

  • Raise the levels of attainment for all pupils, enabling them to enjoy their learning and achieve their personal best
  • Develop confident, disciplined and enquiring learners, who are able to make informed choices, achieve economic well-being, and make a positive contribution to the school and wider community
  • Foster self-esteem and personal responsibilities, linked to respect for the needs and feelings of others
  • Facilitate considerate and positive relationships between all members of the school communite
  • Provide a safe and happy work place
  • Enhance and extend the curriculum through involvement of the wider community.

Values

We believe that children learn best when they:

  • Are happy
  • Are interested and motivated
  • Achieve success and gain approval
  • Are given tasks which match their ability
  • Clearly understand the task
  • Are confident, feel secure and are aware of boundaries
  • Are challenged and stimulated

We believe that learning takes place in an environment which:

  • Is challenging and stimulating
  • Is happy and caring
  • Is organised
  • Is well resourced
  • Makes learning accessible
  • Is encouraging and appreciative
  • Is welcoming
  • Provides equal opportunities
  • Provides a peaceful and calm working atmosphere, in which each pupil can achieve her/his maximum potential

We believe that children should be encouraged to develop organisational skills and independence through:

  • Appropriate tasks
  • Confidence building
  • Example
  • Co-operation
  • Provision of suitable opportunities
  • Responsibilities
  • Structure
  • Clear consistent boundaries and expectations

We believe that children should be encouraged to develop organisational skills and independence through:

  • Appropriate tasks
  • Confidence building
  • Example
  • Co-operation
  • Provision of suitable opportunities
  • Responsibilities
  • Structure
  • Clear consistent boundaries and expectations

Methodology

Children learn through their total experience. This policy guides what children do, what staff do, how time is managed, the organisation of the learning environment and what the school as an organisation does to create an effective and well-managed learning environment in which the individual needs of each child can be met. The characteristics described below meet the minimum expectations that the school has of its teachers, teaching assistants, key workers, instructors and un-qualified teachers. We require from you:-

High Expectations– exemplified by:

  • Encouraging high standards of effort, accuracy and presentation
  • Challenging under achievement
  • Tailoring lessons / activities appropriately to challenge all pupils in the class / group
  • Varying motivational strategies for different individuals
  • Enabling pupils to take responsibility for their own learning
  • Drawing on pupil experiences or ideas relevant to the lesson / activity
  • Always believing in pupils’ capacity to achieve more than they have in the past

Planning– exemplified by:

  • Communicating a clear plan and objectives for the lesson / activity at its start
  • Having the appropriate materials and resources ready for the class / activity
  • Linking lesson / activity objectives to the national curriculum or exam syllabus
  • Reviewing what pupils have learned at the end of the lesson / activity
  • Ensuring that teaching assistants know what their role is during the lesson / activity
  • Ensuring that learning needs identified in intervention plans are incorporated into your planning

Methods and Strategies– exemplified by:

  • Involving all learners in the lesson / activity
  • Using a variety of activities & learning methods
  • Assessment for Learning (AfL)
  • Applying teaching methods appropriate to national curriculum objectives
  • Using a variety of questioning techniques to probe pupils’ understanding
  • Encouraging the pupils to use a variety of problem solving techniques
  • Giving clear instructions and explanations
  • Ensuring practical activity has a clear purpose in improving pupils’ understanding
  • Listening and responding to pupils
  • Investigation , experimentation, observation, problem solving and risk taking
  • Making choices and decision-making
  • Paying attention to the needs of visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners, learning through a variety of extensive pedagogy

The Learning Environment– we require school staff to provide opportunities for our learners to:

  • Work individually, in groups and as a class
  • Demonstrate high expectations
  • Make decisions
  • Work co-operatively
  • Solve problems
  • Be creative
  • Discuss their ideas
  • Develop social skills
  • Develop independence
  • Providing opportunities for reflection by pupils
  • Making judgements and responding to individual needs
  • Use initiative
  • Using a range of positive and appropriate communication strategies – verbal, non-verbal and body language
  • Receive the correct level of additional support
  • See their work displayed appropriately
  • Achieve academically
  • Scaffold learning - intervening as appropriate, in order to encourage learner development

Behaviour and Discipline– exemplified by:

  • Keeping the pupils on task throughout the lesson
  • Correcting poor behaviour constructively and immediately
  • Praising good achievement and effort
  • Treating children fairly
  • Managing support staff well
  • Providing encouragement, positive reinforcement and praise
  • Showing respect and compassion for the pupils
  • Providing a fair, disciplined environment, in line with our behaviour policy

Time and Resources– exemplified by:

  • Structuring the lesson / activity to use the time available well
  • Ensuring the lesson / activity lasts for the planned time
  • Using learning resources to enhance pupils’ opportunities
  • Using an appropriate pace
  • Allocating your time fairly among pupils
  • Using a behaviour plenary session at the end of each lesson / activity so that individual pupil feedback can be given and the pupil diaries filled in appropriately

Assessment– exemplified by:

  • Focussing on understanding and meaning, factual memory, skills mastery
  • Use assessment for learning to facilitate rapid progress
  • Using tests and competition to assess understanding
  • Presenting applications in real life settings
  • Recognising misconceptions and clearing them up
  • Providing evidence of pupils’ written work having been assessed
  • Encouraging pupils to do better next time, use of D.I.R.T (Dedicated improvement & reflection time), using WWW (what went well) and EBI (even better if)
  • Maintaining accurate records in line with the schools marking policy and tracking of learner progress

In addition to the formal characteristics mentioned previously, the best lessons / activities are where:

  • Fun is allowed
  • Displays are interactive and supportive of what is being taught
  • The tone of voice and relationships between staff and pupils is positive
  • Pupils are treated as individual learners with differing learning styles
  • Planning and assessment is practical and useful
  • Teachers, teaching assistants, instructors, un-qualified teachers and key workers reflect how the lesson / activity went.
  • There is a prompt start and finish to all lessons
  • Every achievement is acknowledged and celebrated
  • An enjoyable and productive atmosphere exists
  • Intrigue and anticipation is evident.

Responsibilities

Role of the Management Committee

  • It is the role of members of the Management Committee to monitor and evaluate the policy and its practice
  • Teaching and Learning MC link members
  • The Headteacher / Deputy Headteacher reports to the committee on various developments in learning and teaching practice
  • The Committee will monitor the policy – linked to evaluations and judgements in the SEF
  • The Committee is responsible for the on-going development of this policy

Role of our Parents and Carers’ Role

  • Taking an active interest in all aspects of their child’s school life
  • Seeing that their child attends school regularly, on time and properly equipped
  • Agreeing to and supporting The Bridge School Behaviour Policy and Home /School agreement
  • Ensuring that all contact addresses and telephone numbers are up to date and correct
  • Communicating to school all relevant information, which may affect their child’s progress, happiness, health or behaviour
  • Notifying the school if, for some reason, their child cannot attend
  • Encouraging their child to follow our behaviour policy and support their child to make the required effort
  • Responding to letters sent home and doing their best to attend parents’ evenings and other meetings, at which their presence is requested

The Bridge School Role

  • Giving parent /carers and the management committee clear and accurate information
  • Respecting information given in confidence
  • Setting up curriculum meetings and KS3 and Ks4 parent/ carer evenings
  • Giving reasonable/appropriate access to teaching staff
  • Providing staff with support and opportunities for: training and development; career progression; other forms of recognition for achieving excellence in education linked to staff performance management

Monitoring and Evaluation

The implementation of this policy will require regular monitoring if it is to achieve its stated aim. Our practice will be monitored through formal observation, learning walks and scrutiny of books.

Date: November 2016

To be reviewed by: SLT and Management Committee

Review date: July 2019