POLICY ON: Teaching and Learning Policy
AIMS to:
To ensure that effective teaching and learning takes place within classrooms that have high expectations of achievement and behaviour. Parents, students and governors as well as staff all have a key role to play in this and therefore the learning ethos we develop must encompass the needs of all areas of the Battersea community.
 

PRINCIPLES:
Battersea is learning community where learning is actively encouraged, developed and valued among all its members.

Each student will have opportunities to consider how he or she learns best and to develop as a learner.

Teaching is inclusive; every student has an entitlement to achieve academically, socially, personally and intellectually to their fullest potential.

All staff have responsibility for developing the literacy and other cross-curricular skills of their students.

Assessment for Learning is at the heart of teaching at Battersea.
 

PRACTICE:

Before the lesson

Staff will be informed of the IEP targets, prior attainment, MIDYIS data and targets of all students (including MI and VARK, where this is available) in order that they can plan and deliver differentiated lessons which meet the needs of every student.

Where appropriate, lesson planning should
 follow the guidance of national strategies,
 have an episodic lesson structure, with a variety of activities to reinforce learning
 include the use of Starters to engage students at the beginning of lessons
 make time for a Plenary which reinforces and summarises what has been learnt and allows students to reflect on their learning

Planning will include the use of Assessment for Learning and Accelerated Learning techniques.  This will include making pupils aware of the learning objectives and success criteria for pieces of work, the developed use of questioning techniques within the lesson, the use of lone, pair, share techniques and opportunities for peer and self-assessment as well as setting clear targets for improvement.

At the start of lessons

Teachers will arrive punctually and meet students in the corridors at the start of lessons. 

Students are expected to come to lessons with the correct equipment and ready to learn.  Teachers will support them to become more organised learners and this will include the use of sanctions when appropriate. Core Routines will be followed by staff and students.

Lessons will start punctually. The guidance on routine procedures (Supplementary notes) and Assertive Discipline will be followed to ensure an orderly and speedy settling down to learning.

The teacher will identify (and display as appropriate) the learning objectives of each lesson.

Teachers will set the context for learning, providing the “big picture” and linking learning with previous and future work, the school’s Learning Focus and Assessment for Learning and Accelerated Learning techniques.

During lessons

Teachers will ensure a positive atmosphere, which encourages students, recognises their achievements, gives plenty of praise, and sets high standards.

All teachers will use Assertive Discipline as set out in the Assertive Discipline policy to ensure a calm and orderly classroom.

The teacher will:
 Involve all students in the lesson
 Give clear instructions
 Show and emphasise the key words relevant to learning
 Use a variety of activities and learning methods
 Structure the lesson to make the most of available time
 Use different student groupings to achieve learning objectives
 Use a variety of questioning techniques to probe for knowledge and understanding, and to draw on student experiences and/or ideas relevant to the lesson.
 Encourage students to use a variety of problem solving techniques.
 Listen to students; show them that their ideas are valued but offer correction as appropriate.
 Demonstrate that activities have a clear purpose in improving understanding or raising achievement.
 Link to the cross curricular themes of the school and, in written work, use the agreed sequence for teaching writing.
 Provide thoughtful feedback to students, which shows them how well they are doing and how they can improve
 Provide opportunities for self and peer assessment
 Emphasise the current learning focus and provide opportunities for students to discuss how they can become better learners.

Teachers will establish high expectations by:

 Being a positive role model and an enthusiastic learner
 Ensuring that there is appropriate challenge in the work set
 Providing clear examples of what good work will look like – this is particularly important in work that requires a particular literary form or style.
 Challenging insufficiently good work or resources
 Using higher order questioning to develop the depth of answers
 Ensuring that the lesson moves at a good pace
 Enable students to appropriate steps on the road to having responsibility for their own learning
 Reviewing progress at the end of the lesson

At the end of lessons

Teachers will use Plenary time to summarise learning, emphasise key points, make links with other work and look ahead to following lessons and enable students to reflect on their learning.

Students should leave the lesson in an orderly manner and so that they can be on time for the next lesson

Homework

Homework should be set in line with whole school policy and to be used to consolidate, or extend coverage of work in class.

Teacher should ensure that homework is clearly recorded in student planners and understood by students before they leave.

As with all work, student’s achievement in homework should be celebrated and insufficient or uncompleted will be subject to sanctions (and recorded in planner).

Above all, we should remember and emulate what our best teachers did for us:

They valued us as individuals.
They believed that we could achieve and celebrated our achievements.
They were enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their subject and they passed that enthusiasm on to us.
They valued learning and helped us to develop as learners.
Updated: September 2009

To be reviewed: September 2011