Teaching and Learning Policy Summary

1. Teaching and Learning PolicySummary

2. Having purpose • Putting the vision into practice • Analyse • Plan • Do • Review • Record • Report

3. The Sculptors • I dreamed I stood in a studio, and watched two sculptors there, • The clay they used was a young child’s mind and they fashioned it with care. • One was a teacher, the tools she used were books, and music and art. • One a parent, with a guiding hand, and a gentle, loving heart. • Day after day the teacher toiled, with a touch that was loving and sure, • While the parent laboured by her side and polished and smoothed it o’er, • And when at last their task was done, they were proud of what they wrought, • For the things they had moulded into the child could neither be sold or bought. • And each agreed they would have failed, if she had worked alone, • For behind the parent stood the school, and behind the teacher, the home.

4. XYZ Primary School • A Statement of School Vision • Everyone involved with the educational process at XYZ is a partner in progress • This, in terms of children, is encompassed in the motto Thinking, Working , Playing together. • Educationally making guided progress through individual and group effort

5. Our AimA typical child leaving XYZ will have these attributes • Confidence in themselves, as people and learners. • Awareness of the world around them, locally and wider, showing sensitivity, an enquiring approach, and a developing sense of awareness of themselves as spiritual beings. • Capable of working in many different ways, with different grouping of others, and be able to sustain effort when required • Solve problems with different, but developing, levels of independence. • Think creatively and reflectively when appropriately challenged, organising their needs, and being able to talk clearly to anyone with an interest in their activities. • Accept guidance to achieve the best they can, with a clear understanding of their strengths and areas for further improvement.

6. Children, their thinking and learning, are our core purpose, within the context of a broad, balanced and relevantly challenging curriculum. • Children will start as information gatherers, capable of clear description. • Children will progressively become problem solvers, applying a range of relevant skills, able to articulate clearly in speech and then writing, the detail of their learning, and to have a developing repertoire of presentational skills through which they can show their ideas. • Careful consideration of information, and logical thinking, together with the ability to explain their thoughts, using 2-D or 3-D modelling, will lead to secure links in learning. • Learning processes will be clearly articulated to children, who should be able to explain what they are doing, and why. A policy for learning, achieving the vision

7. The processes through which the children will be challenged will be known to teachers, support staff or any other assisting adult. • The potential for learning across and between different abilities needs to be maintained, to ensure that children derive learning from as many sources as possible. • The taught curriculum will be reflective and creative, with teachers working to improve their personal skills and practice across the curriculum. • ICT in all its forms will be a central tool of development. • The school and each of its constituent parts, will see itself as part of a wider learning community, deriving information and good practice from sources that complement our own developing practice. Policy continued

8. Contributing to Planning Detail • Whole of National Curriculum through School based Topic Specifications • Literacy and numeracy frameworks

13. Planning at different levels Content Learning needs Space, timescales and resources

16. Observation and other direct experience • Linguistic interpretation or expression • Recording or description-words, picture, number • Ordering skills • Exploration of pattern or similarities and differences • Analysis of pattern leading to classification • Modeling pattern, through concrete then abstract means • Predicting and hypothesizing • Trial, through experiment or test • Comparison and evaluation of results • Reorganisation of thoughts • Generalisation and symbolism • Understanding the nature and status of knowledge Model of active learning

18. Guidance Task design Activity presentation Independence levels, skill, knowledge and attitude

19. Children working • Understanding task • Task behaviours • Team working • Oral skill • Recording skill, written, pictorial, mathematical • Evaluation

20. Children as collaborative, independent learners Children learn about learning by doing. By being given tasks where they will need to discuss, decide on action, carry out, review, re-evaluate and repeat, they will develop an insight into the ways in which adults work and solve problems.

23. Outcomes • Teacher as marker • Feedback to children • Room for improvement • Objective and subjective • Moderation

25. Review, Recording and Reporting • To colleagues • To parents • Significant others