BONNERS C E SCHOOL
MARESFIELD
A SCHOOL POLICY FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
Date: September 2014
Review date: September 2015
Authors:All teaching staff
Signed:…………………………………………………………Executive Head Teacher
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“I have come to the frightening conclusion:
I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that creates the
weather.
As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of
inspiration. I can humiliate or humour, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, a child humanised or de-humanised.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Introduction
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Our learning and teaching policy is the foundation of all we do in school. It is a set of agreed practices, strategies and
organisations, which contribute to the continuity of children’s learning and reflects our vision, aims and values.
We believe in the concept of lifelong learning and the idea that both adults and children learn new things every day. We believe
that intelligence is not fixed and all adults and children have the capacity to learn. We maintain that learning should be a
rewarding and enjoyable experience for everyone. Through our teaching we equip children with the skill, knowledge, concepts and
attitudes necessary to be able to make informed choices about the important things in their lives. We believe that appropriate
learning and teaching experiences help children to lead happy and rewarding lives.
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Aims and Objectives
Our Teaching and Learning Policy:
 Is the means through which our vision and aims are achieved.
 Is shared and adhered to by all staff and governors to create a consistent approach, high expectations and effective
organisation.
 Contains examples which reflect our principles and practice.
 Ensures a child’s journey incorporates smooth transitions from one year to the next.
 Is monitored informally and formally by everyone.
Through our teaching and learning policy we aim to:
 enable our children to become confident, resourceful, enquiring and independent learners
 foster their self-esteem and help them build positive relationships with other people
 develop their self-respect and encourage them to respect the ideas, attitudes, values and feeling of others
 show respect for all cultures and, in so doing, to promote positive attitudes towards other people
 enable our children to understand their community and help them feel valued as part of this community
 help them to grow into reliable, independent and positive citizens for the 21st century
Our Learning and Teaching Policy:
 Sets out how children’s learning skills will be developed, how children will learn about themselves and their own learning styles,
and how they will use their skills to develop their own learning.
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Provides clear guidance on planning, constructing and delivering learning opportunities that enable all children to learn
effectively.
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We agree that children learn
best, when:
Learning
Environment
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The learning environment is
creative, engaging, accessible,
interactive, personal and is regularly
updated
The learning environment promotes
thinking, learning, self-esteem and
fosters independence
The learning environment is calm,
safe and relaxed
The learning environment is
organised, of quality and is relevant
to the current learning and needs of
the children
There is an atmosphere of positive
reinforcement, praise and high
expectation
The learning environment promotes
equality and provides opportunities
for reflection and growth in the
elements of SMSC.
When these key principles
are in place, our classroom
practice will look like this:
When these key principles
are in place, our school
practice will look like this:
Displays that motivate, celebrate,
inform, engage and support learning
will be evident. They will:
- Arouse curiosity
- Stimulate enquiry, awe and wonder
- Foster participation by asking
questions that require a response
- Encourage, praise and enhance the
efforts of children
- Provide a model of high expectation
- Give information and scaffold
learning
- Present materials well
- Create a visually stimulating and
attractive environment
 All display will make a statement and
will be regularly changed
 Each classroom will have display
devoted to the current Learning
Journey, as well as RE and maths
and English working walls.
 A learning environment that enables
the children to feel valued and have
ownership of it
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The corridors and all shared areas
will be looked after to the same
high standard; they will support
learning and celebrate achievement
A variety of high quality, interactive
and celebratory displays around the
school will engage the children, who
will admire and respect them
All staff will be responsible for the
maintenance and upkeep of displays
and the learning environment
School will be a safe, calm and
comfortable place, with a welcoming
and inclusive atmosphere
The environment will be well cared
for, it will be organised, attractive,
engaging and will celebrate learning
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Routines
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Every day routines and procedures,
promote a calm, stress-free
approach
The routines and procedures
themselves provide opportunities
for and support learning
There are clear boundaries for
behaviour, known and understood by
all and based on positive behaviour
management (Behaviour Policy)
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A learning environment that
reflects the children in the class,
who understand how it supports
their learning
A learning environment in which
children receive positive praise in a
variety of formats, eg: through
displays, stickers, comments in
books, comments in classroom
interactions
A learning environment that is clean,
tidy, organised, safe and clutter
free
The children will be clear about
routines and carry them out
respectfully, sensibly and
independently
They will own the routines; they will
decide, agree and carry them out
They will accept roles and
responsibilities within the classroom
and approach them positively
Some form of learning activity will
be available first thing in the
morning and the children will settle
to it quickly and quietly
The Golden rules will be consistent
throughout the school and displayed
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Children will move around the school
in a calm, quiet and purposeful
manner
School routines will be in place that
are understood, valued and adopted
by all and recognised as contributing
to children’s learning
Routines will reflect the ethos and
expectations of the classroom
There will be a clear system for
praise and discipline, which is
understood and followed by all
Everyone will recognise and
demonstrate their responsibility
Everyone will know and follow the
Children
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Learning is fun and purposeful
Children are motivated, challenged
and valued
They are given a variety of learning
opportunities
They are able to discover things for
themselves
They feel comfortable, confident,
secure, healthy and positive
They have affirmative relationships
with the adults and peers around
them
Their individual gifts and talents are
recognised, catered for and
celebrated
They are encouraged to be selfaware and confident in their
identity
They are resilient and are able to
persevere
They are confident in knowing they
have the skills to manage the world
and are able to have some positive
effect on it if they choose to do so
They value and understand the
language of learning through the use
‘Secrets of Success’
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in each classroom
Children will take pride in their
learning environment
Children will decide upon the
appropriate resources to complete a
task, know where to find them and
how to use them correctly
Children will make decisions about
their work, including methods of
recording it
Children will be respectful of each
other and adults
Children will respect and value each
others opinion and comment
positively on each others ideas
(modelled by the class teacher)
Children will be motivated and
challenged by the positive feedback
they receive and willing to improve
to succeed
Children will be purposeful, on task,
engaged and applying relevant skills
Children will demonstrate success in
different areas and determination
to achieve in all
Children will take risks and not be
afraid to make mistakes
All children will feel appropriately
challenged, know that the task set
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Golden Rules
Standards and expectations will be
consistent throughout the school
Children will feel confident and ‘at
home’ throughout the school
Children will display good selfdiscipline and be able to manage
their own and other’s behaviour
appropriately
Children will take a pride in their
school and their school uniform
Children will enjoy school and be
ready for new challenges
Children will move around the school
in a calm, polite manner
Children will understand appropriate
behaviour for different
environments and occasions
Children will have access to a range
of purposeful activities and the
space to be creative and/or
imaginative
Children will know how to access a
variety of play opportunities to best
suit their needs
Children will respect each other in
the playground, they will help each
other and will value playground
equipment
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is achievable and how to move their
learning forward
Children will be able to explain what
they are learning and why
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Staff
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Staff are happy
Staff are supportive
Staff are relaxed, alert, motivated
and positive
Staff have agreed values, attitudes
and practices
Staff know the children well
Staff have good subject knowledge
of the primary curriculum
Staff are evaluative and have a
commitment to their own learning
Staff aim for a good work life
balance
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Staff will be enthusiastic, engaged,
consistent, approachable and
trustworthy
Staff will model appropriate
standards in all areas, including
dress, behaviour, positive attitude
and high expectations
Staff will be aware of each child as
an individual, understanding both
their personal and learning needs
Staff will use a range of teaching
styles and strategies to motivate,
challenge and engage the children to
develop a life-long love of and a
commitment to learning
Staff will demonstrate a good
subject knowledge, leading to
informed, confident teaching
Staff will ensure that children
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Children will have a range of
opportunities to develop team and
social skills during playtime or the
opportunity to have personal space
Children will act as good role models
for others, through positions such
as School Council Leaders, Gather
Group Leaders, monitors, buddies
and Play Leaders
The staffroom will be a welcoming,
happy and relaxed place
There will be positive interactions
between all members of the school
community
Staff understand the need and
appropriateness of respect at all
levels and show this through their
communication children, parents and
each other
Staff will be approachable for all
children, ensuring they feel safe,
confident and supported
Staff will implement the school
ethos consistently to all children,
following school policies
Staff will be aware of the power of
modeling in children’s learning and
will demonstrate their expectations
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develop a range of skills that they
will be able to apply in a variety of
contexts throughout their lives
Staff will know when to intervene to
develop children’s learning and when
to allow discovery
Staff will develop a culture in which
children are encouraged to be
creative and not afraid to make
mistakes
Class rules will be agreed with the
children and clearly displayed
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Resources
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Children have access to a variety of
resources, including primary
resources, the local environment,
visits and visitors
All resources are of quality and are
well prepared
All staff are recognised as a
valuable resource and are used to
their full capacity and potential
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Resources will be well presented,
purposeful, varied and of good
quality across the curriculum
Resources will be organised, labelled
and easily accessible for all children
Resources will provide appropriate
challenge
Resources will provide opportunity
for a range of experiences, including
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Staff will be responsible for all
children, share their skills and work
as a team
Staff in their consideration of
sanctions will emphasise dislike of
the action and not the child
Staff will be fully prepared for each
aspect of learning and teaching
Teachers will keep efficient
tracking systems, allowing children’s
learning to be monitored and
measured
Teachers will work from curriculum
planning, enabling knowledge and
skills to be built on from previous
years
Staff will have no limit on the
expectations of different children’s
abilities
Equipment will be well organised and
respected by everyone
Resources will be kept tidy,
accessible, of high quality,
replenished and put back in the
correct place
Resources will be appropriate to the
needs of the children and will
progress throughout the school
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Lessons
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Resources allow children to learn
through their preferred learning
style
Resources encourage children to
think and be independent
They allow children to develop and
reinforce their skills outside the
classroom
Parents and school work together to
support and develop children’s
learning
Lessons are planned from an
assessment of children’s needs and
learning is personalised
Lessons cater for individual learning
styles
Lessons provide opportunities for
independent learning, shared
learning, modelling, thinking and
application of skills
Lessons provide opportunities to
develop concepts through language
Lessons provide opportunities for
first hand experience
Learning is planned in a variety of
meaningful contexts
Lessons provide the opportunity to
consolidate, apply and build on
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first-hand, and a range of abilities
Staff will be appropriately
organised and deployed to best
meet the needs of the children
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Children will be interacting with
each other, thinking, asking
questions, and ‘doing’ their learning
Children will understand the key
elements of the learning, know how
to meet them and will be able to
explain what they have learned
Children will be aware of their next
steps and how they can improve
Children will experience things at
first hand and learn from their
mistakes
Children will have knowledge of the
big picture and know what they are
working towards
Children will be working to the best
of their ability, including the
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Store cupboards will be tidy,
organised, well resourced and
renewed regularly
Relationships between school and
home will be positive and support
children’s learning
Policies and information will be
communicated efficiently to parents
Staff structures and organisation
will match the needs of the school
Children will have access to a range
of extra-curricular activities, which
cater for a variety of interests and
talents
Whole school activities, such as
buddies, visitors, themed
weeks/days, church services,
assemblies are valued for their
contribution to children’s learning
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previous learning
Success criteria, targets and the
big picture are shared with children
and used to support quality learning
The progress of a lesson is flexible
and allows for a different outcome
than expected
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recording and presentation of their
work
All children will be challenged and
making good progress
Teachers will have provided for
different intelligences and talents,
giving them equal value and
recognition
APPENDIX 1
Presentation of children’s work
Children are expected to do the best they possibly can always.
Early Years:
 All learning journey books have the child’s photograph and name on the front.
Key Stage 1:
 Dating of work by the children begins regularly in Year 2 using the short date in maths and English.
 Providing the learning intention as a title begins in Y2, when the teacher judges the children to be ready.
 Mistakes recognised by the children are struck through with one straight line followed by the correction.
 In Year 1 maths books have 20mm squares. In Y2 maths books have 1cm squares.
 In Year 1 the children move towards using 15mm lines for written work when they are ready.
 When children work on plain paper/books line guides are used when appropriate.
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 In KS 1 all books are labeled by the teacher with the child’s name and subject.
Key Stage 2:
 All work is dated and the learning intention written or provided.
 The short date is used for maths, science and art books.
 Titles are underlined using a pencil and ruler.
 Completed work in exercise books is ruled off after marking. New work will start under the ruled line.
 All maths work is completed in pencil.
 In maths all year groups work with 1cm squares, unless they are ready to move on.
 No tippex or ink rubbers are allowed.
 Children do not have access to rubbers. Usage of rubbers is overseen in class 4 and 5.
 Mistakes recognised by the children are struck through with one straight line followed by the correction.
 Line guides are available in each class to match the width of lines in exercise books.
 All children’s books will have labels with names and subject on the cover. Book covers will not be marked or drawn on. Completed
books are checked for marking, presentation and completion and stored throughout the year for review/assessment.
 As an example of best practice, for excellence and good progress, a sample of books in each year group is stored for the
following year. All other books are sent home at the end of the year.
When writing is supported by drawing or diagrams:
 In Early Years the children will explore a range of mark-making tools.
 In KS1 and in KS2 drawings and diagrams are completed in pencil, adding colour when necessary.
 Diagrams are labeled with a pencil and ruler.
The role of Governors
Our governors determine, support, monitor and review school policy on learning and teaching.
In particular, they:
 Support teaching by allocating major resourcing effectively.
 Ensure the best use of the school building.
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Monitor health and safety regulations.
Monitor how effective learning and teaching strategies are in terms of pupil achievement.
Ensure that staff development and performance management policies promote good quality teaching.
Monitor the effectiveness of our learning and teaching policy through the school’s self review processes.
The role of Parents/Carers
We believe that parents have a fundamental role in helping their children learn. We do our utmost to inform parents about what and
how their children are learning by:
 Holding parent/carer consultation evenings.
 Sending clear reports in which we outline the progress made by each child and indicate their next steps.
 Sending home information outlining the curriculum the children will be covering each term and other information.
 Holding termly curriculum assemblies for parents/carers to attend.
 Encouraging parents to join in and support homework, particularly reading, spellings and times tables.
 Seeking their involvement through a range of events.
We believe parents have a responsibility to support their children and our school in implementing school policies.
We ask that parents:
 Ensure that their child has the best attendance possible.
 Ensure that their child is equipped for school with correct uniform and kit.
 Do their best to keep their child healthy and fit for school.
 Inform school if there are matters outside of school which are likely to affect a child’s performance or behaviour.
 Promote a positive attitude towards school and learning.
 Adhere to the Home/School Agreement.
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Monitoring and Review
(Ref: Monitoring and Review Timetable)
Audit
This policy is monitored through a variety of audit tools, including appraisal, classroom observations/drop-ins, learning environment
scrutinies, work/marking scrutinies and pupil conferencing.
Review
As one of our basic policies, underpinning all values and ethos, we recognise the need to review this regularly to take into account
new initiatives, curriculum changes, etc.
This policy will be reviewed again in 2015.
September 2014
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