Our Learning Culture
We are committed to being a learning culture that promotes enquiry-led practice. We have a Professional Learning Community (PLC) model to promote collaboration, challenge, and celebration of developments. Our ethos of professional ‘agency’ is key to workload balance and practitioner-led wellbeing.
How do we do this?
1) Teachers are respected as leaders of their classrooms.
- The professional expertise of teachers shape and develop the provision.
- Teachers are supported to establish their class vision and leadership skills.
- Teachers are at the heart of the relationship with the families in their class.
2) Our school day is organised to engage in an active cycle of plan-do-assess-review and practitioner-led school improvement. This time supports teachers as leaders of their class team.
- 8:30-9:15am everyday: All teachers and teaching assistants engage in structured planning, preparation, training, and formative assessment analysis.
- 3:30-3:45pm everyday: All teachers and teaching assistants engage in formative assessment reflection.
- Statutory PPA (Planning, Preparation, and Assessment) is in addition to this time for all teachers.
3) As a special school that has EYFS, KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, and Sixth Form provision, we build in time for small clusters of classes to promote SEN and Key Stage specific developments.
- The clusters of classes are known as ‘Gem Clusters’
- The ‘Cluster’ of classes meet once a week to work together, engage in professional discussion, and focus on jointly agreed initiatives.
- The Gem Clusters work together to explore pedagogy and research developments. They engage in peer observations, peer moderation, and research enquiry.
- The peer observations and moderations create the evidence-informed CPDL focus that teachers identify and organise through their Gem Clusters.
4) All teachers can access external networks for research and best practice.
- The school has established partnerships and networks with different groups of schools, organisations, and charities.
- The choice in engaging, contributing, or leading a network is with the teacher and Gem Cluster of teachers.
- Professional development and leadership development opportunities strengthen through this choice.
- Requests from external partners are taken to teachers and Gem Clusters to decide if it aligns to their own vision for the term.
