St John’s CE First School
Teaching for Learning Policy
"As a Church of England School we are guided by our Christian values in
supporting the learning of all our children"
The purpose of the policy is to support the continuous improvement in the quality of learning and
teaching. It is integral to effective classroom practice and is the starting point for all classroom
observations.
Our Expectations for all Children at St John’s CE First School
Pupil progress in all aspects of school life is a measure of our success. We aim to develop the
whole child within a rich and stimulating curriculum, taking full account of their emotional, creative,
physical, spiritual, social and intellectual needs.
Our mission statement states that ‘Our school provides an atmosphere and environment for
learning, based on Christian values, where children come first. Our staff have high expectations
for learning and behaviour. Our curriculum is stimulating, enabling our children to think and learn
creatively now and in the future. Our buildings and resources cater for the diverse needs of the
school community. Our children are inspired, independent learners with positive self esteem. They
are confident and caring in their relationships with others, working in partnership with each other,
their parents, carers and the wider community.’ This is at the heart of our teaching for learning
policy. Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations of all children.
We are proud of the ethos at St John’s. We strive to establish excellent relationships within the
school community, recognising that children who have high self-esteem, feel safe and valued will
be more effective learners. We aspire for all children to enjoy learning and develop a lifelong love
of learning.
Teaching is our main activity. To make this as effective as possible it is set within the following
framework of what we believe excellent first school practice to be.
Teaching
We believe that the best teaching takes place when:
 staff are well motivated, valued and work well within the staff team to give consistency
within the classroom and across the school
 teachers have confidence in, and knowledge of, the subjects they teach and they deliver
the curriculum in an exciting, interactive and relevant way
 staff have time to reflect on their own practice, gain new knowledge and develop new skills
 children’s learning is assessed regularly, positively and with reference to the learning
intention
 lessons are well planned, well paced, giving sufficient time to all parts of the lesson
 staff are well organised, with materials ready and prepared in advance
 learning builds on prior knowledge and learning intentions/questions and success
criteria/steps to success are clear and understood by the children
 planned and effective use is made of any support available, for example, teaching
assistants and adult helpers
 a range of teaching styles, questioning techniques and higher order thinking are used to
enable all children to gain knowledge, skills and concepts
 appropriate methods of differentiation are being used to meet all children’s needs
 the staff has high expectations of the children’s achievements, including effort and
presentation skills

relationships are good, children are praised for their efforts and achievements, and high
standards of behaviour are maintained
 children’s views and experiences are encouraged and valued
 they are fully engaged and enthusiastic
 when children are encouraged to increase their skills of self-organisation, working towards
a greater independence
Learning
Staff at St John’s believe that effective teaching results in successful learning. We believe that the
best learning takes place when:
 children arrive at school ready to learn and staff are able to respond to individual
circumstances
 clear learning intentions/questions are the focus of the lesson and children understand
what they are expected to achieve in each lesson and over time
 the teacher sets activities and tasks that are challenging, with appropriate support to meet
the children’s different needs
 it builds on previous learning, is meaningful and makes appropriate links to other relevant
curricular areas and the wider world
 different learning styles are catered for and different groupings used and children remain
fully engaged throughout the lesson
 children have responsibility for their learning within a positive culture and have the
confidence to challenge themselves and show high self esteem - there is a balance
between teacher led and child initiated activities
 Children can recognise and evaluate their own success, encouraging and being
encouraged by their peers
 feedback is prompt and informs children of their next steps
 praise and reward is genuine, recognising and celebrating children’s individual talents,
effort and skills
 relationships are positive and set within clear boundaries and guidelines
 the classroom and school environment are fit for learning and health with displays that
celebrate children’s achievements, support learning and encourage further learning children have access to a range of accessible, well organised and stimulate resources to
encourage independence and learning
This policy was written by all teaching staff and teaching assistants and will be kept in staff
planning files. It will be reviewed annually and is accessible for all staff, governors and parents.
The school is committed to safeguarding and providing for the welfare of all pupils and expects its
staff to share in this commitment
This policy has been reviewed in line with the 9 principles set out in the Single Equality Policy and
an initial screening Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out.
Reviewed: June 2017
Approved by Governing Body: June 2017
Review date: June 2019