The development of teaching and learning is key to raising standards and achievement for students of all abilities. The Academy strives to provide a rich and varied learning environment that allows all students to develop their skills and attributes to their full potential in a stimulating environment that sets the climate for learning.
Holbrook Academy recognises that good or better quality teaching, with appropriate intervention for those students not making progress, enables all students to reach their potential. Our focus on CPD and shared practiced is used to ensure that all teaching staff meet the requirements of the nationally agreed Teachers Standards and that as a result, students are able to make the maximum amount of progress whilst at Holbrook.
| Teaching and Learning Focus | Implementation | Monitoring and Evaluating |
| Consistency within lessons, ensuring students understand the expectations of good learning behaviour. | Ensure each lesson begins with a ‘review-it now’ task to establish routines and secure sequencing of knowledge; each lesson builds on the last enabling students to make good progress in all subjects. |
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| Learning Objectives and Lesson Goals | These should be discussed with students in each lesson, ensuring students understand what they are learning and why. |
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| AFL techniques are applied in the classroom to improve and not prove learning. | Teachers consistently use AFL within the classroom; regular ‘micro-testing’ within lessons to understand gaps in knowledge and ensuring teachers use this data to plug the gaps. This may include the use of: pop-quizzes; mini-mocks on specific exam-style questions; ‘no hands up’ approach to Bloom’s questioning techniques; mini-whiteboards; exit-tasks; regular use of KS4 assessment foci for peer/self review; use of check and correct to promote SPAG and, importantly, modelling sample answers. |
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| Bloom’s Taxonomy is used as a teaching and questioning tool to differentiate and challenge misconception. | All classrooms have displays promoting Bloom’s question stems; key exam questions are broken down and linked to Bloom’s; teachers plan and prepare questions to suit the needs of their learners and ensure that all students participate in lessons; ‘no-hands up approach’ to questioning. |
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| ‘First Wave’ teaching is used to differentiate lessons to suit the needs of all learners. | Differentiation through resources, questioning and deployment of teaching assistants is used within the classroom by all teachers; data is also used to identify weaknesses and strengths and lessons are planned and structured accordingly. |
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| Sharing best practice is use regularly, with staff given opportunities to be reflective practitioners. | Teachers are required to observe one another regularly, providing feedback to peers with links to the Academy’s PM review cycles. |
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| Marking and Feedback | All students receive feedback highlighting Next Steps in their learning |
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| ‘Blended’ learning to support students needs at home as well and in school. | All teachers use GC to support students with their learning at home, with links to work in class. |
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| Use of WTMs and mini-mocks to support both students and staff within exam / assessment process. | WTMs and mini-mocks are used by all teachers in all departments to assist students with exam process. Subjects to have discretion as to how and when they are used. |
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| T&L Toolkit is used as a guiding principle for the structure of lessons. | Toolkit is displayed in each classroom with teachers also given hard copies for use; these guiding principles are used as the basis for peered lesson observations with a link to the T&L fortnightly focus. |
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| CPD to be relevant and differentiated to staff members’ needs; | Staff ‘masters’ / UPS and senior teachers to be encouraged to deliver CPD to colleagues where possible as well as utilising contacts within other academic institutions. |
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| Summative Assessment | All assessments at Holbrook academy are matched to GCSE assessment foci; schemes of work are build with these foci in mind and developed backwards. |
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