The teaching strategies we have embedded within our school come from evidence-based research such as – although not exclusively – Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction (Figure 1), The Learning Rainforest and the cognitive science of how we learn (Figure 2).
Our teaching builds upon the schema (experiences) that our students have to ensure that new knowledge is not forgotten and that they are able to retrieve this knowledge easily. To support this, all lessons have retrieval activities.
As well as developing knowledge, our curriculum is also designed to develop our students’ skills through such things as our Enrichment days, career events, Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) and our clubs.
Figure 2: Memory Model Diagram – taken from www.olicav.com/
Teachers are constantly striving to improve the quality of their teaching and learning, and we offer a broad in-house programme of CPD and support to ensure this. In addition, as part of The Spencer Academies Trust, we are able to offer all of our staff members an extensive range of training opportunities. This ensures we are developing the most innovative and exciting lessons of any school in the country. The quality of teaching is continuously monitored through a broad range of approaches to enable each teacher to become the best they can be and that our students have the best learning
experience.