Teaching and Learning Policy

The Teaching and Learning Policy is available in PDF Format here

Believing in Inclusion, creating opportunities for all and striving for excellence means that the school has key values that all members of our school community live by. These are:

Kindness
Perseverance
Helpfulness
Success

At KPHS, our teaching is COTERMINOUS. We all practise our craft with the same structural boundaries but also with the same reach. Our craft ensures ALL achieve and make progress. This is underpinned by consistent and excessively clear boundaries, structures and routines which act as our anchors. Our kites are our experimental, inspirational methods which allow our students to fly. - September 2021

Teaching and Learning at Kingsway Park High School is based around our ‘KP Method’ which is our 6-part lesson structure designed to maximise the learning experience for our students. It has been created to ensure that all of our lessons enable students to understand the essential knowledge as set out by curriculum and to get the most of each learning experience, whilst being safe in the structure and routine that the KP Method provides.

It encapsulates recall and retrieval practice through our ‘lesson launch’ activity, checking that understanding is committed to memory through independent practice, consolidating essential knowledge in our ‘lesson landing’.

Teaching & Learning Aims at Kingsway Park High School

To provide a sequential learning journey for all of our students which takes account of demographics, needs and aspirations.
To ensure that all students have the opportunity to make progress and to take an active part in understanding the curriculum through talk activities.
To inspire through the daily lesson-by-lesson reminders that each lesson matters for CEIAG. Each learning phase is contextualised and the students are shown why each one matters. To improve students’ clarity of purpose within each lesson across the school.
To support students to build long term memory of essential knowledge in each subject by teaching them that regular interleaved recall strengthens memory.
To improve students’ literacy skills and numeracy ability so that they can apply skill sets to a variety of situations within school and beyond.
To improve teaching and learning incrementally so that our staff use their skills and expertise day-in day-out to continue to develop students’ knowledge and strengthen their learning. For all staff at KPHS to see continuous improvement as the best form of professional development.
To quality assure ‘teaching and learning’ on a continuous cycle so that aspects of the KP Method can be finely tuned and outcomes for students can be assured.
To share good practice through coaching, mentoring and modelling demonstrations so that staff can be inspired by the practice within school as well as beyond it.
To use our developed feedback descriptors to shape practitioners’ reflections and to enable each teacher to develop their craft with confidence.
To improve our assessment and monitoring so that teachers can intervene at every point of need and so that we can track progress diligently and strategically.
To fuse teaching and learning, assessment, quality assurance and curriculum in order to improve achievement and attainment.

Objectives of policy

This policy exists to clarify what we see as best practice and to clarify the expectations the school has for staff and students to ensure that all our pupils learn well in every lesson.

Principles of policy

Staff will:

Follow the KP Method to structure learning experiences
Provide an inclusive and supportive climate for learning for all our students, regardless of age and ability.
Encourage students to contribute verbally and to see the value of a ‘no opt out’ climate.
employ a variety of KP Method engagement strategies (such as ‘turn & talk’, ‘call & response’ and ‘show-me boards’ in order to enable our students to become active, interested learners.
use WAGOLLs where appropriate to model to our students how to close the gap as well as re-create work which reaches the higher bands and grades
use no-opt out zone principles when questioning students. To encourage them to probe their own thinking and increase their confidence to give an articulate response to questions.
Work to make our students realise that their valued contributions are vital to peer teaching.
ensure that each lesson starts with independent application to recall and retrieval tasks.
Provide regular and meaningful home learning either through Teams or other sources.
Provide opportunities and guidance to apply and develop literacy, numeracy and other skills
Encourage and support our KPHS to become ‘thinkers’ who can connect lessons to the outside world. Each lesson matters with regard to CEIAG & EPE.
work collaboratively to ensure consistency in skill development by identifying and sharing best practice in teaching and learning across all areas of the curriculum.
Work collaboratively on enquiry-led research with a view to honing our skill sets and continuing our research-led approach.
listen to students’ views and adapt methodology so that access is inclusive

Students will

Follow the expectations of the KP Method: e.g. silent lesson launch, no-opt out and retrieval as routine.
Adopt, encourage and embed the 4 core values during lessons: kindness, perseverance, helpfulness and success.
Take part in active earning and participate each lesson.
Respond positively to feedback and improve their work as a result of effective feedback
Support each other (and their teacher) so that all learn effectively with peer learning
Understand why each lesson matters and why it may become relevant to their future working lives. They will treat each lesson as a progressive enquiry.
Treat each lesson as the next stage in their progression pathway.
Try hard to develop and apply their literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum.
Follow the teacher’s instructions every lesson and contribute to a positive, inclusive and safe learning experience.

Teaching

The aim of everything we do is to ensure that pupils make progress in our lessons. There is no prescribed style in which staff are required to deliver lessons; however, we ask all teachers to adopt the KP Method as part of our striving for outstanding practice day-in day-out.

Consistency is essential to improve standards. Together we agree to fundamental habits, routines and structures which all staff will implement.

Shared understanding with shared commitment = Consistency

KP Method Teaching Routines	Student Expectations
Check students are correctly prepared for learning (uniform and equipment) during tutor time All colleagues support each other to ensure that no learning time is lost.	Students arrive prepared for learning with correct equipment – black pen, pencil, green pen, ruler, calculator, planner etc. Students display a readiness to learn and a positive ATL.
Teachers are to meet and greet pupils at the door, reinforcing positive language, lesson launch expectations – time, silence and application, and behaviour. Lesson Launch is displayed or distributed on entry.	Kindness – all students and staff start the learning experience with support and encouragement. Students understand the lesson launch routine expected of them
Use class charts to create a seating plan for every class which promotes learning for every pupil. (Covid bubbles are to be maintained where possible)	Helpfulness – students learn where they sit and who their desk partners are. They sit in the correct place as routine.
Plan a ten-minute ‘Lesson Launch’ which enables students to recall prior learning. Teachers are to aim for interleaved content which supports ‘interrupting the forgetting curve’. The ‘Neptune task’ may be used to stretch and challenge even further.	Students enter the room and complete the Lesson Launch activity independently and in silence. Progress is checked and success is recognised.
The teacher shares the ‘Enquiry Question’ which sets out what the students should understand by the end of the lesson / learning sequence. The enquiry question is explored briefly verbally.	Students record the enquiry question in the exercise books. Any further explanation of it is recorded. Students understand that perseverance will mean that they can eventually answer the EQ,
The teacher shares the EPE as part of our drive to ‘start with the why’. Students are supported to contextualise learning and make connections with their possible future aspirations.	Students start to understand the relevance of each and every lesson. They connect their learning to their future study / career / pathway to success.
The teacher tracks where the lesson fits within the longer learning sequence using the ‘Progression Pathway’.	Students understand how learning is sequential and how this lesson is part of the steps towards their next assessment point. The idea is that students understand that all lessons contain essential knowledge for future success and that they must persevere in the building of it.
Teacher decides which KP Method activities to incorporate within the model/guide – check – apply – check sequence. Directed & targeted questioning will form a key part of engagement, peer teaching and checking understanding.	Students are given opportunities to listen, understand, practise, apply and consolidate. The body of the lesson will require the students in their group to show kindness, perseverance and helping others.
The ‘Lesson Landing’ will be planned to consolidate the essential knowledge taught that lesson. Any diagnosed misconceptions may be incorporated into this final learning section.	Students are required to consolidate the key learning from the lesson. They will be asked to clarify understanding of essential knowledge and possibly bridge forward to next lesson’s learning.
Finish lessons in a celebratory & orderly manner with pupils standing behind desks, before being dismissed in a controlled way.	Students are asked to leave the room when the teacher indicates it is ok to do so. They are to make their way to their next lesson in a calm timely manner. Their consideration in movement time is all about helping others and showing kindness and consideration within our relatively small corridors.

Planning and Preparation

All lessons across the curriculum should be planned to incorporate the KP Method.
Our core values should sit behind the classroom practice and underpin learning: kindness, perseverance, helpfulness and success.
Formative assessment and data should inform planning. Teachers should diagnose and correct misconceptions day-in, day-out.
Planning should be strategic and should enable students to learn essential knowledge and be able to answer the enquiry question. All planning should be backwards from this outcome.
Resources should reflect the ability level and needs of the students in the group. Dual coding etc, Irlens coloured worksheets as appropriate etc.
Teacher should use the medium term plans as working documents and ensure that they follow the planned sequence of learning. Topics should be researched soundly and understood in depth, and good practice should be shared across teams during dept CPL sessions and in daily dialogue.
A variety of activities should be planned in order to promote engagement. A mixture of paired talk in ‘turn and talk’ and independent ‘show me board’ practice and solo lesson launches should underpin learning.
Class Charts awards should be used to celebrate effort and progress. The KPHS values should be recorded where they are part of a student’s efforts. The language within the teacher exposition should be framed in a positive way e.g. ‘thank you for…’ Equally, a graduated response should be used for sanctions when diffusion of behaviour has failed.
All students should be clear regarding the EQ and it should never be a barrier to progress, e.g. student-friendly language whilst teaching & embedding tier 2 and 3 vocabulary.
The KPHS Learning Arrow should be used as a template for EC staff and observed practitioners. These should be shared once or twice each year for EC+ staff and more regularly for EC staff.Staff should convey high expectations at every stage of the lesson. The pitch and challenge and classroom climate should reflect this daily.
Planning should be shared with Teaching Assistants in order to support their planning and adaptation for our SEND, EAL and INA students.

Home Learning

Homework should set at regular intervals to consolidate in-class learning or extend the research around a topic. Homework can be set and submitted via Teams or can be in written form.

Non-completion of homework should be logged on Class Charts and sanctions issued as appropriate.

Literacy & Numeracy

KPHS is committed to raising the standards of literacy and numeracy within lessons and beyond. Within the lessons, key words are promoted through the ‘stickability triangle’.

Literacy and numeracy are the responsibility of all areas of the curriculum and accurate teaching of both elements is part of our collective responsibility. This means that worksheets and resources are checked carefully for accuracy.

Assessment & Marking

Teachers should assess pupils’ understanding regularly, according to the school’s marking and feedback policy. In-depth marking is reserved for assessments and verbal formative feedback is day-in, day-out.
Each member of staff should be clear regarding their particular department’s policy regarding cumulative and summative assessment. Curriculum Leaders hold the responsibility for training their staff and for carrying out work scrutiny in order to ensure standards are upheld.
Purple ink is used for teacher feedback and green ink is currently used for ‘closing the gap’.
Marks should be submitted within the data window ready for the data capture analysis point.
Assessment feedback should be criteria-referenced and use language appropriate to the age and ability of the student.
Teachers are required to provide samples of work so that CPL in standardising and moderation can take place across teams and ensure security of accurate assessment.
Formative and cumulative assessment should be a fundamental part of each lesson. Through the use of WAGOLLs, mark schemes and teacher feedback, students should be clear regarding secure skills sets and knowledge and what has ‘not yet’ been understood or learnt.
Staff should use analysis of assessments to diagnose recall work and to inform short term planning. Where gaps in knowledge occur, these should form part of the retrieval low-stakes lesson launch testing. Data tracking should be used to inform their teaching and to structure intervention strategies.
Data should be a tool to inform practitioners of whether essential knowledge has been secured. Assessments should be written and set to test whether essential knowledge has been learnt.
Lesson Landings should diagnose any insecurity with the particular lesson taught that day. Lesson landings should always revisit the enquiry question to ascertain whether the objective has been fully, partially, or not met. This then informs next lesson’s recall and retrieval.
Staff should encourage high quality presentation of work. The KP Method such as the lesson launches, stickability points, the enquiry question should be evident in student workbooks.

Tracking student progress

All staff must update their marksheets regularly to build a cumulative picture of students’ progress. Staff are expected to use agreed criteria to assess students’ work accurately.

Each Curriculum Leader must track each individual’s progress against their target grade and at KS3 understand where a child is performing comparatively both within the cohort and against other subjects.

Staff are required to complete student action plans within their subjects so that support can be offered for any underperformance at GCSE. Wave 2 interventions are noted and shared as action points. These will contain strategies, records of parental engagement, mentoring etc.

All teachers will identify students in their class in need of additional support, including vulnerable groups such as pupil premium students, SEND students, INA/EAL students, and the most able. Interventions should then be planned and implemented.

Quality Assurance of Teaching & Learning

In order to raise standards and to drive continuous improvement we undertake regular quality assurance through the following means:

Formal Lesson visits – 1 formal observation carried out by the T&L team plus 1 observation carried out by their CL focusing on progress against the targets set in the first observation for ‘secure or above’ teachers
Focused Learning walks and pop-ins
Book Looks
Long and medium- and short-term planning scrutiny
Student voice, staff voice, Curriculum Leader voice and parental voice
Data
Appraisal dialogue and target-setting

Quality Assurance:

To make secure judgements of teaching and learning across the school
To continuously improve the quality of T&L delivered in the classroom and evidence improvements being made to this for all teaching staff, unqualified teachers and teaching assistants regardless of their level of experience.
To monitor and evaluate the progress of pupils during a lesson and over time via book looks, student voice, individual lesson planning, Curriculum Planning long term and medium-term sequences, and Lesson visits.
To judge and evaluate the performance of individual teachers against the Teacher Standards and check that high standards of professional performance are established and maintained
To identify group and individual training needs across the teaching and support staff. Where findings are a cause for concern these will be shared and appropriate support will be actioned by the AHT (T &L)
In order to further pedagogical knowledge, teaching staff follow an enquiry-led research programme in triads and small groups. They research and trial methods and approaches and approach findings. Aspects focus on how students can be facilitated to make further progress. (see appendix 1)
During the appraisal process, teachers set targets centred on their practice and how these can best affect student outcomes. These are set in Sept/October and reviewed in March/April and again in the subsequent academic year.
Curriculum Leaders carry out pop-ins and learning walks in order to ensure the KP Method is embedded in their subject area. Departments are given incremental feedback to facilitate all teachers to make improvements. Teaching & Learning audits are completed by all teaching practitioners in order to ascertain targets and areas of strengths in all departments.
Book looks and work sampling forms part of the quality assurance programme. Departments are given targets and these form part of the department development plans across the school. CPL is provided for various aspects of this.
Student voice is used within lessons or as part of a subgroup to capture voice and provide evidence for T&L audits.

Structured support plans

Where staff need further development, informal and formal structured support will be given in order for incremental progress to take place.
The AHT for T & L will meet with AHT QA and devise a structured support plan around the standards that require any improvement. This will be shared with the Curriculum Leader within the subject area and approximately six weeks will be planned for a period of informal structured support. This is with a view to tangible improvements seen and recognised at the mid and end point of the plan.
The member of SLT leading the structured support with meet with the practitioner and discuss the targets and success criteria for improvement. Questions can be raised and open dialogue is encouraged. Requests for further CPL and support will be met in order to support progress and improvement.
In the event that the informal structured support period does not move practice on, formal structured support will be given for a further six week period.

QA Protocols

At KPHS, we have an agreed format for monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning for the management of performance over time, in line with the Teacher Standards. This will consist of the following per academic year:

One formal lesson observation per academic year carried out by the T&L team plus 1 observation carried out by their CL (or ACL or SLT link) focusing on progress against the targets set in the first observation for ‘secure or above’ teachers. All members of SLT, CL and ACL are trained and quality assured to carry out lesson observations, quality feedback to support improvement of practice and QA of short term lesson planning by AHT(QA) every 2 years. AHT (QA) is externally quality assured and quality assured by the Head Teacher. *
If a member of SLT, CL or ACL cannot independently make accurate judgements when quality assuring the delivery or planning of learning or cannot coach to provide quality feedback further training and support is put in place until they can
EC colleagues have half-termly formal observations and pop-ins in between in order to support early development. The EC Lead is quality assured by AHT (QA) every year.
A second lesson visit will follow an observation that has been a cause for concern. Following that, coaching or structured support will be planned and implemented

Where possible all lesson observations for teachers in one department will take place over 1-2 weeks depending on the number of teachers in the department. Once all lesson observations have been completed for all teachers in a department (excluding EC teachers) CL’s will receive between 1-3 departmental T&L targets collated from the analysis of all lesson observation targets set in their department. These targets are added to their department development plans and are used to form part of their continual improvement for T&L in their department.
New teaching staff to the school (excluding EC teachers) are observed after 3-4 full teaching weeks by AHT(QA) with a purpose of ensuring they receive prescriptive extra support actioned by AHT(T&L) quickly if required to ensure they are following the KP Method to plan and deliver ‘secure’ lessons and to ensure they have a secure understanding of the school’s high expectations, routines and systems.
All QA work at KPHS is designed to review, audit and plan how outcomes can be raised for the students we teach.

*Teachers on an informal or formal structured Support Plan will be observed more than three times in the academic year.

Protocols for Lesson Visits

Before the lesson: Curriculum Leaders are made aware which members of their department will be observed by a member of the T&L Team 1 week before the first lesson observation. We endeavour to give individual teachers approximately 1 week’s notice of their upcoming lesson observation. Teachers must complete a lesson plan using a KP Method planning arrow proforma or a KP Method planning flow chart proforma

During the lesson: The observer will typically observe for 25-35 minutes and complete a KP Method Lesson Observation Proforma. Excellent practice will be highlighted in yellow and areas in need of development will be highlighted in pink. The areas of best practice observed in the lesson are summarised on the proforma and at least one target is set to improve their planning or delivery of learning.

Feedback: Every teacher will receive verbal and written personalised feedback within 48 hours (when appropriate) of the lesson observation from the observer. This feedback will follow a coaching style (when appropriate) and provide an opportunity for the teacher to reflect on the lesson planned and delivered. The feedback will clearly highlight good practice and will always provide clear targets of how they can improve. If the teacher is not ‘secure’ in their delivery of learning they will be told during this feedback that further support will be required, and they will be re-observed after approximately 6 weeks by AHT (QA) to assess the impact of this support. ACL (T&L) will action the support and step this up appropriately dependent on the level of need.

Pop ins

Protocol for drop ins (including senior leadership pop ins, joint pop ins and Curriculum Leader pop ins)

Work Scrutiny /Book Looks

The typicality of teaching is what is being assessed and a judgment is based around

Student presentation
Evidence of the KP Method
Compliance of MTP’s and sequencing
Expectations, challenge and Independence.
Assessment and feedback.

Members of SLT are quality assured to carry out book looks and make accurate judgements by AHT(QA). AHT(QA) has been quality assured by the Headteacher and an external consultant (February 2022).

SLT will QA all CLs (and ACLs) to ensure they can carry out Book Looks accurately and refer any training needs to AHT(QA). AHT(T&L) will action suitable support.

A Book Look proforma will be completed during the exercise and the CL will retain a copy of this and will action the areas in need of improvement with their team. If any additional training needs are required, the CL will inform AHT(T&L) and she will action the support. ACL(QA) will endeavour to QA a sample of the improvements made to the students’ books after approximately 6 weeks and will trigger the need for further support to ACL(T&L).

At least 2 departmental book looks will be QA by a member of SLT annually.

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