Wheatley Hill Primary Teaching & Learning policy

All lessons have… an adaptive approach to support all learners

- • In all lessons, children are challenged appropriately.
- • Pupils will be supported through a range of learning styles (Visual, Audio, Kinaesthetic) as well as specialist SEND support systems such as colourful semantics, PECs, TEACCH etc. Children may require a different Work System within mainstream classroom sessions. This needs to be carefully planned before the lesson.

All pupils are…Actively engaged in learning and work co-operatively

- • Pupils are actively engaged, during all parts of the lesson – teachers take into account children’s concentration span and ensure pupils are not sitting passively for long periods e.g. movement breaks, episodes of teaching (movement breaks can be as simple as a transition from carpet to tables).
- • Opportunities, where appropriate, for the purposeful use of ‘talk partner’ are regular features in all lessons (Think/Pair/Share).
- • Teachers regularly refer to the Three Rules of Good Listening – Sitting, Looking & Thinking. (Communication Trust)
- • Mini whiteboards, or jotters are used for short bursts of activity, to develop understanding and to ensure children are active and engaged during the lesson.
- • Visuals, artefacts, auditory input are all used creatively, as a way to enhance learning including talking tubs, curiosity crates, floor-books and working walls.
- • Children & staff help and encourage each other (We care for each other)
- • All adults promote positivity and encourage participation throughout.
- • Teachers intervene throughout the lesson to address misconceptions, alter scaffolding or set higher levels of challenge.

All pupils receive regular and clear …feedback which enhances learning

- • We encourage active marking and instant individual, group or whole class feedback. Instant and precise feedback is proven to have a much greater impact on pupil learning than after lesson marking.
- • Active marking & feedback takes place during lesson rather than waiting until the end of a session. This approach allows extensions or corrections to be set and actioned immediately removing the need for follow up tasks etc.
- • When marking children’s work, the main focus is on ensuring the learning objective through the use of the Work System has been met. Pupil work is highlighted, or commented on in line with the Marking Policy.
- • Although some marking will take place after lessons, this delayed feedback should still be purposeful and precise to support future pupil learning.
- • Individual targets are updated regularly for Maths and Writing when needed – these are displayed in the front of their books and the children refer to them during lessons. These targets are a worked model of sentence types to be worked on.
- • Encourage pupils to feedback to others & reflect on what they have learned and what has helped them to learn.

Use prompts like:

- § What did you do today that you found most helpful when you were learning?
- § What did you do today that you found less helpful?
- § If you had to do the task again, how would you do it?
- § If you had to give one piece of advice to someone tackling the same task, what would it be?

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