Learning and Teaching Policy

Vision

Breda Academy is a Professional Learning Community (PLC) focused on its core business and practice of teaching and delivering the Key-Stage 3, 4, and 5 curriculums to ensure students continually make progress in their learning throughout each Key-Stage.

The learning and teaching culture in Breda Academy is based on positive relationships, mutual respect, and trust between students and teachers. Students are supported and guided to develop effective and efficient study habits that stimulate their intellectual curiosity, both inside and outside the classroom. Students are taught by caring teachers who know them well, each with their own areas of expertise to make learning relevant and achievable, within a framework of short-medium-long term planning, and by using effective and clearly understood consistent approaches to learning and teaching.

Lessons are well planned and structured to set appropriate pace, with students supported, challenged, and stretched by a variety of active classroom methodologies in an atmosphere characterised by high expectations, mutual respect, and trust. Students are helped to become resourceful and resilient learners, well prepared for the challenges of engaging in further and higher education and the world of work. Applying this learning and teaching policy results in a variety of different learning outcomes for students, which contribute to:

• developing students’ knowledge and understanding of curriculum subjects;
• guiding students to work independently and develop greater responsibility and ownership for their learning;
• building students’ capabilities, perseverance, and curiosity by encouraging them to ask questions;
• equipping students with the confidence to ask for help, persevere and take risks in their learning, so that they build resilience and mistakes are seen as powerful learning opportunities;
• encouraging students to collaborate with other students and make connections between different parts of their learning experiences, within and between subject areas;
• challenging students to reflect on their learning and express their views on the learning experience and how they can improve;
• ensuring students continually make progress in their learning to achieve set and desired outcomes.

Rationale

Learning and Teaching is the school’s core business and practice, and this policy is designed to recognise and consolidate current good and best practice and pedagogy, whilst providing a framework for future development and improvement.

This Learning and Teaching Policy is underpinned and forged by the following seven principles:

1. Professional Values and Conduct
2. Positive Learning Environment
3. Lesson Design and Planning
4. High Quality Learning and Teaching Strategies
5. Assessment and Feedback for Progress
6. Supporting and Developing the Learning Experience
7. Teacher Self-Reflection and Development

The purpose of this policy is to provide teaching colleagues with a common framework to implement and embed these seven principles of effective learning and teaching. This policy provides guidance for the evaluation of the effectiveness of planning, teaching, and assessment for ensuring students make progress in each stage of their learning. Evaluations will be based on evidence provided by a range of professional quality assurance practices, such as; ETI inspection feedback, lesson observations within the PRSD process, learning walks conducted by the principal, trusted colleague network framework, data tracking and analysis, line management meetings, schemes of work, examination performance, student work, student voice, and any other agreed practices.