To enable this to happen we have procedures in place to ensure our children are provided with high quality learning experiences that lead to consistently high levels of achievement.

Continued and sustained improvement is dependent upon improving the quality of classroom-focused teaching and learning taking place daily.

By adopting a whole school approach to teaching and learning we aim to:

• Provide consistency in the delivery of teaching and learning across the school;
• Enable all teachers to teach as effectively as possible;
• Enable all children to learn as effectively as possible;
• Give children the skills they require to become successful lifelong learners;
• Provide an inclusive education for all children;
• Learn from each other, through the adoption of a collaborative approach to teaching and learning, where outstanding practice is shared.

We believe that the following key statements define high quality teaching:

• To set high expectations for all pupils;
• To talk regularly with learners about their learning and to listen to them;
• To ensure pupils know the learning objectives of all lessons and to know if they have achieved that objective;
• To be knowledgeable about what we are teaching;
• To reflect on our practice and challenge our own thinking;
• To ensure that we have a clear picture of our pupils’ knowledge, skills and their level of understanding;
• To organise our classroom activities to encourage children to become successful learners through understanding how they learn;
• To deliver interesting, purposeful and exciting lessons with speed and challenge;
• To link lessons to real life situations and problems and with other subjects;
• To use open ended questioning techniques and prompts to provoke thought, instigate explanation and develop critical thinking;
• To meet the needs of all learners by using different teaching strategies;
• To ensure that resources, including human resources, are optimised in all lessons;
• To use paired learning opportunities;
• To formally and informally assess the attainment of our pupils using a range of AfL strategies before, after and during lessons;
• To use mini-plenaries in lessons to showcase outstanding work and address misconceptions;
• To use the outside environment as learning opportunities as much as possible;
• To use IT to support and develop learning.

We believe high quality learning is achieved when pupils are:

• Enthusiastic, attentive, responsive and on task;
• Aware of classroom and school rules and abide by them;
• Talking confidently and ask appropriate questions;
• Confident in asking for help and support;
• Aware of their achievements and what they need to do in order to improve;
• Taking pride in all that they do, always striving to produce their best;
• Producing good quality work;
• Knowledgeable about their learning;
• Independent learners and stay on task;
• Confident in helping others to learn;
• Appropriately challenged;
• Demonstrating emotional resilience and the ability to persevere when they encounter challenge
• Developing a sense of self-awareness and becoming confident in their own abilities.