Teaching & Learning

At Bridgewater we are committed to the development of high-quality teaching and learning across the whole school. We have a variety of forums in which this development takes place including Faculty meetings, INSET days, our staff CPD programme, news flyers and short-term projects. We work with our fellow TCAT schools in terms of how best to develop teaching pedagogy and to support the development of our staff to this end, with the ultimate impact being upon the learning of the pupils themselves.

Lesson Structure and Sequencing

Our Lesson structure and sequencing provides a consistent approach to learning over time that promotes effective and consistent teaching. All teaching follows the EEF 5-part structure: Activate, Explain, Practice, Reflect and Review. Although not all 5 elements are expected in any one lesson, this structure is followed through a sequence of lessons.

An important sequence of learning is the use of explicit instruction when introducing new content: clear explanation, modelling, guided practice and independent practice. This sequence will be shown on a variety of levels; over a couple of lessons, over a year or over a key stage.

Improving teaching in the classroom

Supporting continuous and sustained professional development on evidence-based classroom approaches is important to develop the practice of teachers. The aim is therefore to develop consistent high-quality teaching. Evidence indicates that high quality teaching is the most important lever schools have to improve pupil attainment, including for disadvantaged pupils. The main areas that we use are; explicit instruction, scaffolding, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, flexible grouping and using technology. The school provides CPD to its staff in these areas. There is also focus on metacognition and student agency as a means of providing students with a greater ownership and awareness of their own learning. At Bridgewater we maintain a study culture in which we endeavour to ensure that pupils work hard in lessons. The school has introduced study support sessions at the end of the school day to support students where needed, with their programmes of study.

Assessment

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The assessment of knowledge and understanding is planned throughout all subject curricula in the form of a range of both formative and summative strategies. Subject curricula planning identifies what is to be assessed at each stage. Teachers and leaders understand that progress means students knowing more and understanding more at each stage the curriculum. The planned curricula provides timely assessment strategies, which follow a sensible flow of assessments which are manageable and meaningful.

Assessment as Bridgewater:

Promotes Learning
Informs teaching
Is both formative and summative
Recognises student progress and achievement

At class level students are assessed through a number of pedagogical strategies including daily recap quizzing, targeted questioning, hinge questions, low stakes testing, peer to peer quizzing, self-quizzing, multiple choice questions and testing through the Quality Mark Assessment process in each subject.

Assessment points are clearly identified on schemes of work with a minimum number of summative assessments in all year groups clearly identified. Assessment of knowledge and understanding is planned through subject curricular. Subjects identify what needs to be assessed at each stage.

Formative assessment is used to identify gaps in knowledge at both a student and class level. This is then used to inform lesson planning and delivery. Formative assessment is intrinsically linked to our model of Explicit Instruction, as to move from one phase to the next requires regular checks for understanding at these key points in the learning journey.

Key Stage 3 : Assessment without levels

Providing appropriate challenge -Through a mixture of KS2 data, CATs scores, baseline testing and ongoing observation of progress, the subdivision of each target statement for Advanced, Intermediate and Foundation pupils, bespoke to each subject ensures the correct level of challenge for each pupil.

Making success criteria explicit

The use of text statements for each unit of work means that all pupils (and other stakeholders) have absolute clarity regarding what success looks like for their particular ability range (see above). All of these statements for every subject, every year group, every unit are made available on the school website.

Measuring gaps in knowledge and skills

The use of Securing and Developing statements and associated detail provide all teachers, pupils and parents/carers a clear indictaion of which part of each statement has not been Mastered, allowing for gaps to be addressed in future learning.

These judgements are made clear to pupils and, twice per year, to parents based on the most recent unit of work.

Key Stage 4 : GCSE and Btec Courses

Providing appropriate challenge

Through a mixture of FFT target data, in-school KS3 data and observation of ability within the first few weeks of GCSE/BTEC delivery pupils are allocated GCSE/BTEC targets by subject teachers. These targets are reviewed by the Curriculum Deputy and where it is felt that levels of challenge are not appropriate.

Making success criteria explicit

Given that pupils are now being measured towards external exam-based criteria, in as many cases as possible pupils are shown how their work is assessed in relation to exam-board criteria, and what they need to achieve to match such criteria (e.g. through modelling or use of previous pupils’ work).

Measuring gaps in knowledge and skills

The use of ‘Above’, ‘On’, ‘Border’ and ‘Below’ judgements make clear to pupils how well they are progressing towards their final targets. These judgements are shared with parents twice per year. Individual assessments within this overall judgement make clear to pupils and teachers alike which particular gaps need addressing in future units.

Literacy

We are committed to providing a first-class education for all its students. For some students, literacy is a barrier that can prevent them fully accessing this first-class curriculum. Therefore, as early as possible we identify students for whom literacy is a barrier and provide those students with the strategies to overcome these barriers. Our interventions do not limit the curriculum nor disadvantage any pupils through removing them from subject areas or limiting their learning experience.

All teachers are teachers of literacy and as such, all teachers:

Promote reading, writing, speaking and listening within their subject area
· Identify the particular needs of all pupils within these four areas of literacy and devise strategies to support the same within their subject
· Ensure that literacy learning should be enjoyable, motivating, challenging and empowering
· Scaffold in order to support pupils’ earlier attempts and build confidence
· Provide pupils with feedback on the literacy elements of their work and opportunities for them to make future improvements
· Promote Reciprocal Reading strategies: Predict; Question; Clarify; Summarise
· Use the EEF Lesson Model of Activate, Explain, Practice, Reflect, Review.