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Morriston Primary School
Teaching & Learning Policy
“Together Everyone Achieves More”
Morriston Primary School
Neath Road
Swansea
SA6 8EP
01792 781811
e-mail: [email protected]
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Morriston Primary School
Ysgol GynraddTreforys
Teaching and Learning Policy
Introduction
As a Rights Respecting School, we promote the values and principles of the UNCRC.
This policy promotes and enables children to access Article 29.
This document is a statement of the aims, principles and strategies for teaching
and learning at Morriston School. It lays the foundation for the whole curriculum,
both formal and informal and forms the context in which all other policy
statements should be read. It was developed through a consultative process with
the teaching staff and is the responsibility of all to implement.
The curriculum is the basis for raising standards but the achievement of high
standards is not an end in itself. The effective curriculum enables pupils to acquire
skills that they can apply consistently to achieve personal effectiveness in the
application of reading, writing, speaking, basic number, ICT and the personal and
social skills needed for living in and contributing to the global economy in the 21st
Century.
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The Nature of Teaching and Learning.
Teaching and learning is the very purpose of our school. It has the children at its
heart and is the method through which we offer them a curriculum that:
 Is planned to take account of national, local and individual school priorities
 Provides access for all pupils to the National Curriculum and all its
experiences
 Addresses spiritual, moral, social and cultural, as well as academic
development
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Offers opportunities to acquire and develop key skills to equip them for
current and future roles (i.e communication, Numeracy, ICT, problem solving,
study/learning skills).
 As Professor Donaldson recommends, should:
“be designed to help all children and young people to become: ambitious, capable
learners, ready to learn throughout their lives enterprising, creative contributors,
ready to play a full part in life and work ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the
world , ready to be citizens of Wales and the world healthy, confident individuals,
ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members ofsociety.” (Professor Donaldson’s
report on curriculum and assessment arrangements – Successful Futures,
February 2015)
Professor Donaldson’s recommendations mark a radical departure from the
curriculum of the last century. They provide us with the opportunity to build a new
curriculum for Wales which is fit for the 21st Century and beyond and develops our
pupils’ digital competency.
Aims
We believe that pupils learn best in a variety of different ways. At our school we
provide a rich and varied learning environment that allows all children to develop
their skills and abilities to their full potential.
Through our teaching we aim to:
 enable children to become confident, resourceful, enquiring and independent
learners;
 foster children’s self-esteem, and help them to build positive relationships
with other people;
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 develop children’s rights, responsibilities and self-respect, by encouraging
them to understand the ideas, attitudes and values of others, and teach
them to respect other people’s feelings;
 show respect for a diverse range of cultures and, in so doing, to promote
positive attitudes towards other people;
 enable children to understand their community, and help them feel valued as
part of it;
 help children grow into reliable, independent, positive and global citizens.
Principles of Teaching and Learning at Morriston School
Effective learning
Research tells us a lot about how to maximise learning. We know that pupils
learn in many different ways, and respond best to different types of input
(visual, auditory and kinaesthetic); we must therefore facilitate learning in
different ways to address the needs of all our learners.
We ensure the best possible environment for learning by developing a
positive atmosphere where pupils feel safe and feel they belong, where they
enjoy being challenged and confident to take risks and develop as reflective
learners.
We recognise that underpinning learning is the need to develop the emotional
intelligence of our pupils. We are more likely to learn when we feel motivated
to do so. Young people who feel good about themselves are much more likely
to be highly motivated to learn.
Most learning does not happen automatically or by accident. Learning takes
place in a social context when pupils are collaborating with each other. It
requires conscious and sometimes considerable effort on behalf of the
learner. As Vygotsky said: “What a child can do today with assistance, she
will be able to do by herself tomorrow. “ (Vygotsky, 1978)
Taking responsibility for themselves and their own learning is seen as an
important quality for pupils to develop. Therefore, involving learners in the
planning and management of their own learning, in sharing aims, planning
targets, and reviewing achievement is important to learning at Morriston.
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At Morriston we establish effective learning by ensuring that pupils:
1. Are motivated to:
 lead their own learning
 take an active interest in their learning through encouragement and support
 improve their performance and be willing to learn from areas that require
development as well as areas of strength
 enjoy lessons and readily respond to the challenge of the tasks set
 care about the presentation of their work and look after resources
2. Take responsibility for:
 their learning, evaluating their achievement of learning objectives/outcomes
 concentrating on tasks set and listening attentively when appropriate
 developing the confidence to raise questions, to try to find answers and ask
for help when needed
 helping each other and working collaboratively as well as independently
 developing over time the ability to work autonomously, taking responsibility
for their own learning and increasingly taking the initiative
3. Have developed or are developing the following skills:
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persevering with tasks they find difficult
responding positively to opportunities to extend their learning
modifying and redrafting work
working to time limits
retaining knowledge and applying it in unfamiliar contexts
working and learning as individuals, pairs and groups
developing research skills
being creative and developing problem solving skills
investigating areas of personal interest
bilingualism and full access to the Curriculum Cymreig and a Welsh ethos.
Concerning the structure of a lesson, learning-theory tells us:
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to connect the learning with previous work;
to give learners the ‘big picture’ of the whole lesson;
to explain the learning objectives;
to present the information in a range of styles;
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 to allow opportunities for the pupils to build up their own
understanding by talking about their thinking;
 to review what has been learnt, and so increase recollection;
 to provide feedback, celebrating success and reviewing learning
strategies;
 to outline the next step in the learning before moving on.
We offer opportunities for children to learn in different ways. These
include:
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investigation and problem-solving;
research and discovery;
group work;
pair work;
independent work;
whole-class work;
asking and answering questions;
use of ICT;
fieldwork and visits to places of educational interest;
creative activities;
responding to a range of media;
debates, role-plays and oral presentations;
designing and making things;
participation in athletic or physical activity.
We encourage children to take responsibility for their own learning, to be
involved as far as possible in reviewing the way they learn, and to reflect on
how they learn – what helps them learn, and what makes it difficult for them
to learn.
Effective Teaching
At Morriston we establish effective teaching whereby all teachers aim to:
1. Make their lessons purposeful
 Share learning intentions at the beginning of any learning
 Provide quality feedback to pupils (refer to marking policy)
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 Ensure pupil learning is supported through a good language role model and
the use of appropriate questioning techniques
 Ensure the context for learning is regularly reinforced
 Provide pupils with advice about what to do next to further their learning,
model what is required, when needed
 Provide pupils with regular opportunities to give feedback about their
learning experiences
 Ensure their feedback is used to modify and improve the learning process
2. Manage an effective learning environment
 which is safe, stimulating and supports learning
 where their individual needs are taken into account
 where mutual trust and respect is encouraged between teachers and
learners and among all learners
 by matching teaching style to lesson objectives and group dynamic
 by organising physical resources in ways which will promote independent
learning
 by being flexible enough to adapt their lesson plan to take account of
students’ contributions and the mood of the group
 by setting and achieving high standards of behaviour and motivation
 by regularly reviewing student grouping and seating to promote effective
learning
3.Match learning activities/opportunities to all abilities and preferences
 by using appropriately differentiated materials and tasks which ensure
students’ active participation in lessons, for all pupils
 by working proactively with teaching assistants. TAs to work closely with
teachers, sharing planning and observations
 teaching assistants actively support teachers, working with groups and
individuals, providing strategies not solutions. They are responsible for
assessing/sharing with teacher the progress of pupils they have worked
with. There are clear lines of communication
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4. Develop the pupils’ thinking skills
 by directing attention not only at what is to be learnt but how children learn
and how to intervene to achieve this
 by enabling pupils’ to take charge of their own learning, to “learn how to
think” and to “think how to learn”. If pupils are to become better thinkers
then they must be taught explicably how to do it
 by providing time for children to talk about and evaluate their thinking
processes
 by allowing the learners to become more independent by knowing both the
purpose of the activity and the assessment criteria in advance
 by teaching the pupils how to be reflective about their work
5. Use both formative and summative assessment to evaluate students’
progress and to inform future teaching plans
 by using a variety of formative in-class assessment, which relates to the
subject area
 by marking consistently and positively in line with whole school policies
 by giving regular feedback either through marking of work or verbally to
students about their work and setting them achievable and realistic targets
 by encouraging self-assessment and peer assessment in the drive to strive
for improvement
 by encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning e.g
through personal research, self-assessment
6. Use AFL strategies and ensure that:
 an environment is created where errors are discussed and accepted as a
necessary part of moving towards understanding
 questions are asked that are worth answering
 longer working times encourage pupils to share ideas before answering e.g.
think/pair/share and no hands up
 a variety of questioning strategies are used
 the quality of pupil/teacher dialogue is of greater importance than quantity
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 learners understand the learning intention and what they need to do to
achieve it.
Planning
The school’s planning is in accordance with the revised curriculum (2015) and the
move towards a learner centered skills focused curriculum. The school’s curriculum
is on the whole organized through a thematic approach supported by Cornerstones.
The use of Curriculum Maps facilitates the appropriate match of skills to subject
content/range and the cross-curricular approach. Where subjects do not
appropriately match the skills/theme for a particular half-term, these subjects are
taught discretely e.g. Curriculum Cymreig. Pupils are set a Rich task to be
completed at the conclusion of their theme, where they can apply the skills they
have learnt and developed over the half-term. The school’s medium and short term
planning also identifies the key skills to be developed from the Skills Framework.
Homework is considered to be a valuable element of the teaching and learning
process therefore:
 children are encouraged to work at home on a regular basis e.g. projects,
reading, spelling
 it is expected that all children will read at home and share a book with their
parents (there is particular emphasis on this in the STFs).
 maths and language homework is given regularly as per policy
 children who have made insufficient effort during class time may be asked
to complete work at home
 extra homework tasks will be given to children in Year 6 to help prepare
them for life at comprehensive school
 further practice in basic skills (e.g. handwriting) may be set at the
discretion of class teachers
 Picture Exchange Communication System in the OAU and STFs for individual
children as appropriate
Achievements in learning are celebrated in display and performance:
 school events such as class assemblies, concerts etc. are seen as ways for all
children to celebrate their achievements
 pupils are encouraged to believe that exhibited work (performance or
display) should represent their highest standard of personal achievement
 sustained effort including drafting and reworking is encouraged to enhance
standards
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 each child is given an opportunity to have a high standard of work (in relation
to the individual pupil) displayed at some time in the school year.
Display is not seen as just a celebration of the child's work but as a valuable
teaching tool, it is seen as relevant and offering a means of discussion and
reinforcement of classroom learning.
Role of the Subject Leaders
All subjects have a co-ordinator who has a responsibility within the subject area:
 to monitor and evaluate, within criteria set through whole staff consultation
all aspects of the subject of responsibility, to record and report findings.
 to review samples of pupils work
 to check teachers planning of the appropriate curriculum area(s)
 to produce effective action plans
 to contribute to the School Improvement Plan
 to contribute to the School Self Evaluation
 identifying and determining overall aims and objectives in accordance with
the requirements on the National Curriculum.
 determining a curriculum within each subject area relevant to the abilities
and needs of all pupils including those with Special Educational Needs.
 organising curricular activities across the school and when appropriate with
other schools.
 organise relevant In Service Training for both teaching and / or non
teaching staff as needs demand.
 evaluating standards of learning in accordance with the new Curriculum
Orders.
 to examine and analyse achievement data relevant to the curriculum area(s).
 compiling information on achievement and make this available for parents,
governors and appropriate external groups.
 allocation and supervision of resources necessary for implementing the
curriculum across the primary range.
 to monitor and supervise the ordering of resources across the primary
range.
 to develop/ create portfolios in the relevant subject area
 to liaise with other primary schools
 provide relevant links within the community and further afield.
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Strategies for Use of Resources
Classroom resources are the responsibility of classroom teachers. The teacher
ensures that:
 there is a range of appropriate, accessible and labelled resources
available from which pupils can select materials suitable to the task in
hand
 all children know where resources are kept and the rules about their
access and use
 to ensure safety
 children are encouraged to act independently in choosing, collecting and
returning resources where appropriate
 children and teachers act together to establish an attractive, welcoming
and well organised environment engendering respect, care and value for all
resources
The role of governors
Our governors support, monitor and review the school’s approach to teaching and
learning. In particular they:
 support the use of appropriate teaching strategies by allocating
resources effectively;
 ensure that the school buildings and premises are used optimally
to support teaching and learning;
 check teaching methods in the light of health and safety
regulations;
 seek to ensure that our staff development and our performance
management both promote good quality teaching;
 monitor the effectiveness of the school’s teaching and learning
approaches through the school’s self-review processes, which
include reports from subject leaders, the termly headteacher’s
report to governors, and a review of the in-service training
sessions attended by staff.
The role of parents and carers
We believe that parents have a fundamental role to play in helping children to
learn. We do all we can to inform parents about what and how their children
are learning:
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by holding parents’ evenings to explain our school strategies for
literacy, numeracy and project work;
by sending information to parents, at the start of each term, which
outlines the topics that the children will be studying during that term
at school and the skills their child will be developing;
by indicating the skills and targets that they could help with at home
through the child’s homework
by sending parents reports in which we explain the progress made by
each child, and indicate how the child can improve further;
explaining to parents how they can support their children with
homework, and suggesting, for example, regular shared reading with
very young children, and support for older children with their
projects and investigative work.
We believe that parents have the responsibility to support their children
and the school in implementing school policies. We would therefore like
parents:
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to ensure that their child has the best attendance record possible;
to ensure that their child is equipped for school with the correct
uniform and PE kit;
to do their best to keep their child healthy and fit to attend school;
to inform school if there are matters outside of school that are likely
to affect a child’s performance or behaviour;
to promote a positive attitude towards school and learning in general.
Monitoring and review
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This policy will be monitored and reviewed at least every two years.
Signed: ____________________________________ (Headteacher)
____________________________________ (Chair of
Governors)
Date Governing Body approved the policy:
Date of next review of this policy:
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