Teaching & Learning Policy

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Leigh

Teaching & Learning Policy

Live and Learn with Jesus.

We follow Jesus through fairness, kindness, love, friendship and happiness.

Introduction

This document is a statement of aims, principles and strategies for teaching and learning at Leigh Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School. It lays the foundations for the whole curriculum both formal and informal and forms the context in which all other policy statements should be read.

Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning is the purpose of our school. It is the method through which we offer a curriculum which is broad and balanced and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and Religious Education.

Aims

Our aims are that the children will:

Be tolerant and understanding with respect for the rights, views and property of others
Develop a responsible and independent attitude towards their roles in society.
Experience a broad and balanced curriculum and a range of extra-curricular activities which will enable them to achieve their potential in terms of academic achievement, aesthetic appreciation, physical development and spiritual awareness.
Formulate a code of moral values based on the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church.

Principles of teaching and learning

We believe that children learn best when

They are interested
They can see the point and purpose of the activity
They feel happy and secure
The teaching material is appropriate to their needs and abilities
They are adequately motivated
Parents and school share aims and objectives and work as partners

Accordingly, we see teaching and learning as a process of co-operative team work and welcome and encourage the involvement of parents and others in the community.

All members of the school community work towards the school’s aims by:

Recognising children as individuals, respecting their rights, values and beliefs and catering for their abilities, interests and needs.
Fostering and promoting good relationships and a sense of belonging to the school community
Providing a well-ordered environment in which all are fully aware of behavioural expectations.
Offering equal opportunities in all aspects of school life for all children including pupils with additional needs, dyslexia, EAL and those who are gifted and talented and recognising the importance of all different cultures.
Encouraging, praising and reinforcing good relationships, behaviour and work.
Working as a team, supporting and encouraging one another.

Teachers work towards the aims of the school by:

Providing a challenging and stimulating programme of study designed to enable all children to reach the highest standards of personal achievement according to their particular learning style.
Recognising and being constantly aware of the needs of each individual child according to ability and aptitude.
Ensuring learning is progressive and continuous
Being good role models – punctual, well prepared and organised
Maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of the national curriculum
Having a positive attitude and CPD
Establishing links with the local community, including industry, to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.
Working collaboratively with a shared philosophy and commonality of practice.

Pupils work towards the school’s aims by:

Attending school in good health maintained by adequate diet, exercise and sleep
Attending school regularly
Being punctual and ready to begin lessons on time.
Being organised, bringing necessary kit, taking letters home promptly, and returning reading books regularly.
Conducting themselves in an orderly manner in line with the expected code of discipline.
Taking growing responsibility for their learning.

Parents work towards the school’s aims by:

Ensuring that children attend school in good health, regularly and punctually.
Providing support for the discipline within the school and for the teacher’s role.
Being realistic about their children’s abilities and offering encouragement and praise.
Participating in discussion concerning their child’s progress and attainments.
Ensuring early contact with school to discuss matters affecting a child’s happiness, progress or behaviour.
Giving due importance to homework, hearing reading and assisting in the learning of spellings and tables.
Allowing children to take increasing responsibility as they progress through the school.

Strategies for Teaching and Learning

Our curriculum is organised on a topic basis with links made between aspects when appropriate. Children work in a variety of ways e.g. individually, groups or class activities as appropriate.

Some specialist teaching takes place but in general all teachers teach all subjects to their classes. Teachers ensure they have an up-to-date knowledge of the subjects they teach.

Classroom work is supported by Teaching Assistant, and student teachers, volunteer helpers are allowed in school at discretion of head.

Teachers plan lessons and sequences of lessons to meet pupils’ individual learning needs and use a range of appropriate strategies for teaching and classroom management. They take responsibility for their professional development and use the outcomes to improve their teaching and pupils’ learning. Teachers aim to provide challenge in lessons through pace, questioning strategies and practical problem solving activities. Differentiation is used in the curriculum to respond positively to variations in levels of motivation, rates of learning, the power of retention etc. Differentiation by response (outcome), by tasks, through classroom organisation, by the use of resources, by the development of additional support, by the use of extension work has relevance across the whole range of different learning needs of the children at our school.

Pupils with additional needs including EAL are sometimes withdrawn for extra support, intervention programmes and some receive extra support in the classroom from teaching assistants, volunteer helpers and support services

Homework is given according to the agreed policy. All children are expected to read at home on a regular basis with the help and support of their parents. Children who have made insufficient effort in class may be asked to complete the work at home. Children will generally be given spellings and tables to learn at home and further practise in basic skills.

The importance of first hand experience is acknowledged and we encourage children increasingly to take control of their own learning. Investigative work is carried out, children are encouraged to record their findings in a variety of ways and opportunities are provided where appropriate, for children to become involved in decision making.

Excellence is celebrated in display and performance:

Children are given the opportunity to have work of a high standard displayed.
Sustained effort including drafting and redrafting work is encouraged to enhance standards.
School events such as plays, concerts and assemblies are seen as opportunities for pupils to demonstrate their own best performance.
Pupils are encouraged to believe that any exhibited work, performance or display should represent their highest standards of personal achievement.

Strategies for Ensuring Progress and Continuity.

All teachers are involved in the planning process:

The whole school development plan is developed through a process of collaboration between staff and approved governors.
Year group plans are drawn up by teaching staff and are carefully balanced to ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum and key skills and reviewed as appropriate.
Policies and schemes of work for individual subjects are developed by curriculum teams. Having made an active contribution to the policies and schemes of work teachers use these to challenge and support all pupils to do their best.
Plans are drawn up weekly by the individual teachers for mathematics and English.
Themed work plans are developed collaboratively in year groups.
Regular staff meetings are used to discuss various aspects of the curriculum and ensure consistency of approach and standards.

Feedback to pupils about their progress is achieved through the marking of work which is carried out in accordance with the schools marking policy.

Formative assessment is used to guide the progress of individual pupils. It involves identifying each child’s progress in each area of the curriculum, determining what each child has learned and therefore what each child needs for the next stage in their learning i.e. target setting. Results are tracked each term and scrutinised by the Headteacher, SMT and members of staff at Pupil Progress Meetings

Cross phase continuity is ensured by:

Regular liaison meetings between teachers of Y6 pupils and those from prospective high schools.
Visits to high schools by Y6 pupils.
Transfer of pupil records of progress and summative assessment results.
Transition work

Strategies for Recording and Reporting

Records of progress for each child are retained throughout the child’s time at the school and are passed on to the high school as required.

Reporting to parents is held twice a year and annually through a written report in Summer Term. Parents are made aware that they may meet their child’s teacher and/or Head teacher at any other time providing an appointment has been made.

Formal summative assessment is carried out at the end of each National Curriculum Key Stage i.e. in years 2 and 6 through the use of SATs and teacher assessments. This process is moderated by the local authority. Results of the individual pupil assessments are then made available to the parent concerned and the overall statistical profile (but not individual results) is made available to parents, governors, LA and national government.

Staff new to the school will be asked to read this policy as part of their induction and discuss it with their mentor, (see Policy for Induction of Newly Appointed Staff.)

Adapted: Autumn Term 2022

Review Autumn Term 2024